Soul of a Samurai
by HypnoticMelody
Summary: -SEQUEL to Heart of a Samurai- The Samurai life isn't an easy one with all of the rules, never ending training, Nighlok attacks, and falling in love. With the threat of the Nighlok King, Serrator, the pressure to save the world has doubled. People need to remember that they are also just teenagers who were sucked into the super hero world one day and have never looked back since.
1. Chapter 1: Before the Storm

**Soul of a Samurai**

**Summary-****-SEQUEL to Heart of a Samurai- The Samurai life isn't an easy one with all of the rules, never ending training, Nighlok attacks, and falling in love. With the threat of the Nighlok King, Serrator, the pressure to save the world has doubled. People need to remember that they are also just teenagers who were sucked into the super hero world one day and have never looked back since. With the power of Darkness on their side, they should prevail in any fight. Shouldn't they?  
**

**Jayden/OC Kevin/Mia Mike/Emily**

***NOTE: To understand my OC in this story, and her back story, go read my other fanfic _One of the Guys, One of the Guys II, and Heart of a Samurai_. You don't necessarily have to, but it would help. This story has spoilers for my_ One of the Guys _series.***

* * *

**.:Chapter One – Before the Storm:.**

The January sun beat down on the city of Panorama, shrouding the area in a hot and humid cloud. The weather had been really hard to keep track of; one day it'd be breezy and cool, and the next it'd be in the low 100s. However, it was the new year; a time to enjoy the, sometimes beautiful, weather with friends and family, wonder the landscape, or relax.

But this was not the case for the Samurai Rangers. Up at eight in the morning, as usual, another day of training awaited them to prepare for the worst case scenario of a Nighlok attacking the city. Mentor Ji stood off to the side, silently watching the Rangers spar against each other. He was amazed and proud at how far the Rangers had come since the beginning and quickly they had progressed as a team. And for that he ended their training that morning early, announcing that he'd start to make breakfast for everyone.

"Thank, God," Mike breathed, tilting his head back to look at the sky before he used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He followed the other Rangers into the house and dropped into the nearest chair he could find. "It's so hot. Why couldn't we have trained inside?"

"You won't always be fighting in the nicest weather conditions, Mike," Jayden replied, pulling the bottom of his training top out of the waist band of his pants, stretching it up over his face to wipe away the sweat. "You've gotta learn to pull through, even when you don't think you can go on."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a hand in creating a heat wave out there," Melody commented as she gathered her hair in her right hand, lifting it off her neck. She used her free hand to fan the back of her neck. "At least they had the decency to bring us in before we passed out."

"I have to agree with Mike," Antonio replied. He was standing next to the refrigerator sliding a piece of ice across his forehead and under his chin. "Curse you, sun!"

Kevin, Mia, and Emily silently sat at the kitchen table, breathing heavily, and wiping the sweat off their foreheads. They gave Ji a smile of thanks when he gave them cups of ice cold water to drink.

"You know," Mike spoke up rapidly pulling his shirt away from his skin, trying to fan his chest, "it would be nice if you could give us the day off."

"I couldn't agree more," Melody said as she dropped into an empty chair, leaning back until she balanced on the back two legs. "Today's a perfect day for a swim, eh Kev?"

Kevin peered at her over the edge of his cup as he took a long gulp of water. He let out a soft "ahhh" as he set the cup down. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it your New Year's resolution to take training more seriously?" Melody merely shrugged in reply. "Besides, we've got an indoor training area; wouldn't want it to go to waste."

"I'm surprised at you, Kevin," Mia said with a small frown. "I thought you'd be jumping at the chance to go swimming."

"Yeah, you could put us all to shame," Emily replied with a weak laugh before she started to suck on an ice cube.

"I've trained for so long under rough conditions, I don't see how you guys are complaining," Jayden spoke up. "It's not that bad."

"We were training in _hell_," Melody pointed out.

"Yeah, and we're not all gifted with the symbol power of fire, Jayden," Antonio replied with a half smile and Jayden chuckled. While he was sweating as much as the rest of the Rangers, he was the only one who didn't seem to be bothered by the heat at all. Even in the hot weather, he held his own better than the other Rangers.

"Doesn't look like the heat is going to last," Ji called out, gaining the Rangers' attention. "It should be dropping to the mid 60s in the next few days." He placed his hand on the refrigerator door and said, "Despite the heat today, you all worked hard and you worked well together. You'll continue practicing inside, but until the heat breaks, I want minimal activity outside. You can have the rest of the day off." He chuckled when he got weak cheers in reply.

Mike was the only one who seemed to have gotten new found energy. "A-are you serious, Mentor?" he asked, practically bouncing in his seat.

"Dead serious," Ji replied over his shoulder.

Mike let out a loud whoop, punching the air with his fists. "YEAH! FREEDOM!"

"Oh good," Mia said with a warm smile. "I've been meaning to catch up on my reading. I think I'll curl up in a chair with a nice, cool glass of lemonade."

"And I can practice playing the flute," Emily said with a grin, clapping her hands together. "I haven't practiced in a long time."

"If anyone wants to join me, I'll be continuing training inside," Jayden said, business as usual. Kevin immediately put his hand in the air, showing that he'd join his leader.

"Uh, Mentor?" Antonio asked, shaking his wet hand in the air, water droplets from the melted ice hitting the floor. "Does that include—"

"Yes, Antonio, it includes fishing," Ji replied in a warning tone. "I've sent Kevin out in the heat once and he nearly passed out from lack of hydration. I'm not risking it with you; not on a day like this."

Antonio let out a loud sniff, wiping away a fake tear. "Gee, Mentor, I didn't know you cared so much," he said, pretending to be choked up. "It's nice to know I'm thought about from time to time." Ji rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Jay, this is our first day off in a while," Melody said with a shake of her head. "At least do something fun with your free time."

"Training _is_ fun," Jayden replied, leaning against the counter, reaching for an apple. He looked it over before taking a large bite out of it.

"Ok, smart guy," Melody replied, lowering her chair to the floor, "before we all got here, what did _you_ do when you took a day off?"

"Jayden barely ever took the day off," Mentor commented, looking proud. "Not even when he was sick. He took his Samurai training very seriously."

"Sounds like another stick in the mud we know," Mike said, leaning over to clap Kevin on the shoulder. Kevin made a face at Mike but didn't say anything.

"I happen to be very proud of what I've accomplished _because_ I barely took the day off," Jayden pointed out, his hand curled around the apple, using his index finger to point at Mike.

"You never step out of the box do you?" Melody asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Of course I do," Jayden replied, taking another large bit of the apple. His cheek poked out as he talked around the chunk in his mouth. "I went to the amusement park with you guys, and the movies, and stuff."

"Don't you want to do something spontaneous _one time_, just for the fun of it?" Melody asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jayden snorted. "The last spontaneous thing I did was ask you to join the team." He then gave her a pointed look. "And I'm _still_ waiting for the fun to begin."

"You are seriously in need of a mental health day," Melody said with a roll of her eyes.

"The day Jayden takes a mental health day, is the day I say I enjoy training," Mike replied, stretching his arms over his head.

"Now _that _would be the sign of the apocalypse," Emily said with a shake of her head, twisting a lock of her curly hair around her finger. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"I'm going to meditate," Melody announced, pushing her chair back from the table. "Call me when breakfast is ready." She let out a sigh as she moved through the cool hallways. "Em, you still need to borrow my flat iron?"

"Oh, yes, please," Emily replied with a smile, following Melody into her room. The older girl grabbed the black hair tool off her desk, holding it out to Emily.

"So, why do you suddenly want to straighten your hair anyway?" Melody asked, as Emily wrapped the chord of the flat iron around it.

"It's easier to manage, especially in this heat," Emily replied with a shrug. "Besides, it's a new year, so why not try a new look?"

Melody just nodded, putting her hands in the air as if saying that she didn't want to be involved. She gave the Yellow Ranger a knowing look before kicking off her shoes, moving to sit cross legged on her bed. Hearing a scuffling sound, she laid down on her stomach and peered over the side of her bed, pulling up the fallen covers to see Jaeger curled up in a ball, sitting in the dark space.

"So _that's _where you've been this whole time?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Coolest place in the house," Jaeger replied his whiskers twitching as Melody stuck in arm under her bed to pull him out. "Besides, I'm resting. We're all going to need it. Once the heat breaks, expect Master Xandred to send out a horde of stronger Nighloks."

"What difference would that make?" Melody asked, a confused look on her face as she placed her companion on the bed.

"The Nighloks would dry out faster than a most towelette if they tried to attack in this heat," Jaeger replied, stalking in a circle before laying down on her comforter, closing his eyes. "I can only assume the longer they stay in the Underworld the stronger they get."

"And with the heat tapering off in the next few days," Melody caught on, a thoughtful look coming to her face, "the Nighlok could appear at any time. And Arachnitor is still out there, too." She tucked her legs up underneath her, sitting up straight. "Calm before the storm I'd say." She closed her eyes, slowly letting out a breath of air. "And you know what?"

"What?" Jaeger replied, cracking an eye open.

"I bet it's going to be a big one."

* * *

**A/N: **(Just so you know, this fic is set directly after _Friends Forever_ while also serving as a sequel to _Heart of a_ Samurai). And finally, the start of Soul of a Samurai. I can't wait for you guys to see what I have planned for you. This fic is more action packed and has more original content in it as well. Thanks for being loyal readers and I hope you like this one.

As usual, I don't own PR, Saban does. I only own Melody, her family, her powers, etc.**  
**

**~MysticMelody101~**


	2. Chapter 2: New Threat

**.:Chapter Two – New Threat:.**

* * *

Antonio let out a choked moan as he felt the energy drain from his body as the Black Box clattered back onto the table. He felt his knees buckle and he fell onto the ottoman in front of him. He lay there for a few moments, breathing heavily, glaring at the box.

He had been working on it for months, and while he had made progress, inserting all the powers from the other Rangers inside it, he couldn't completely activate it. It zapped him of his energy as he had to use so much symbol power time and time again. He knew the box would give the Rangers more power, but he didn't know exactly what it would do. Both Ji and Jayden would only tell them that it would help them in the fight against the Nighlok, but nothing else was said when asked.

Antonio stood up. But of course, his hastiness did not go unpunished. The quick and overwhelming feeling of blood rushing to his head took over his body, knocking him off balance for a mere moment. His head spun and the momentary blindness faded in two-and-a-half seconds, but it did cut off all rational thought for a whole three seconds. Antonio shook his head, putting a hand to his forehead, before reaching for his fallen Power Morpher.

He picked it off the floor, clutching it tightly in his hand and straightened, blinking rapidly as he swayed on the spot. He sighed, momentarily admitting defeat and sat down on the ottoman, putting his head in his hands. He tightly gripped his hair in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut. _Come on, Antonio, you can do this. _

"You ok, Antonio?" Antonio lifted his head and gave a short nod he spotted Melody walking into the room, wearing her training uniform, eating an apple. "And where is everybody?"

"Mike and Emily went skating," Antonio replied, running his hands over his face before he sat up, "and Mia and Kevin are out training. They took a practice dummy with 'em. As for Jayden, I don't know where he went."

"Huh. The _one time _I decide to start taking training seriously and no one's here." Melody tossed the apple back and forth in her hands. "I guess it's a good thing I gave Emily a helmet for Christmas then. But, you didn't answer my other question." She moved to sit on the wooden table in the room and took another bite of her apple before asking, "Are you ok?"

"Yeahhhh," Antonio replied, dragging out the word as he slid his morpher into his pocket. "I can't program this stupid thing." He waved his hand towards the Black Box before dropping it at his side. "I'm _so close_, I know I am."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Antonio," Melody replied, a worried look crossing her face, noticing how defeated he looked, "you've been working really hard on this and it's paid off. I mean, you've already gotten all of our symbol powers into the box. If we didn't think you could do it, we wouldn't have given you the job."

"Yeah, I know," Antonio replied. A wide smile then crossed his face as he clapped his hands once before rubbing them together, "And once I'm finally able to unlock the box, it'll truly be a golden moment."

"If it helps, I know you can do it," Melody commented, using her shoulder to brush her hair out of her face. "I mean, you proved that you don't have to have a history of Samurai in your family to be one. And you blew us all away with how you could create a morpher out of an old broken cell phone _and _fix an old Zord." She took a large bit of her apple and then said around the chunk in her mouth, "Not to mention your backhanded grip style of fighting is something I'm jealous of as I've never been able to pick it up."

Antonio chuckled, briefly closing his eyes. "I think Kevin is too, but we all know he won't ever admit it," he muttered getting to his feet. "Well, I think it's time for a fishing break. You wanna tag along?"

Melody shook her head, getting to her feet as well. "I've gotta start training," she replied. She then nodded towards his pocket, "Keep your morpher close in case something happens."

"You really think Master Xandred was holding off because of the heat?" Antonio asked.

"It's the only thing I really want to believe," Melody replied with a shrug, "because honestly, it could be just about anything. I don't even want to think about him building up a Nighlok army. Cause honestly, there's no way we'd be ready for it without that box finished." She scratched the side of her neck and added, "No pressure."

Antonio snorted.

* * *

Jayden brushed his now shorter hair out of his face as he quickly tied his black and red shoes. He straightened, pushing himself off his bed and made his out of the Shiba House and into the backyard. He silently watched as Melody sparred against Jaeger, taking note of how quick and on point their advance and defensive movements were.

They were light on their feet, quickly darting back and forth as if their feet barely made contact with the ground. Melody's fighting technique seemed to be more long, languid, and calculated where as Jaeger's were more like sharp jabs and kicks; firing off quick bursts of energy. He watched as Melody performed a back handspring, creating space between herself and Jaeger as he aimed a kick at her to grab her abandoned shinai, twirling it at her side before jabbing it towards Jaeger's stomach. Jaeger merely jumped back to avoid the hit.

Jayden moved as quietly as he could to take a shinai for himself. He gripped it tightly in his hands, watching the two spar, waiting to join in. Without warning, Jayden charged, accelerating towards Melody swinging his shinai at her legs. Melody reacted instinctively, dodging his attack with a back flip as Jaeger backed off. Landing, she quickly backed up a few steps, breathing heavily, giving him a surprised look before her famous smirk appeared on her face.

"Game on," she muttered, a challenging look filling her eyes.

She charged herself forward, swinging her shinai towards her stomach before releasing her right hand, swinging her fist in a punch towards his shoulder. He quickly swung his shinai downwards, smacking her on the wrist, knocking her off balance. As Jayden jumped, aiming a strong kick to her side, but she quickly dropped to the ground, knocking his legs out from underneath him with a quick sweep of her legs.

Jayden landed hard on his back and stayed there for a moment, breathing heavily before sitting up, taking Melody's outstretched hand, allowing her to help him to his feet. "Thanks," he commented and she nodded in reply, staring at him, giving him an odd look. "What?"

"You got your hair cut," she commented.

"So?" Jayden replied, giving her an odd look back.

She shrug, giving a short shake of her head. "So, nothing," she replied simply. "I like it, it's nice. So that's where you've been this morning, then." She crossed the yard to the bench she left her water bottle on and squirted the clear liquid into her mouth. As she swallowed the water, she tossed the bottle to Jaeger who lazily caught it in one hand as he walked over. "I was looking for you; I needed a sparring partner and everyone else was out."

"You seemed to be doing fine," Jayden commented, nodding towards Jaeger, who nodded back. His lips twitched before he said, "You've got impressive reflexes. I was trying to be as quiet as possible."

"We could sense you," Jaeger said with a shake of his head, his nose wrinkled, before he handed his water bottle back to Melody, turning into his cat form to jump onto the bench, settling down.

"Not to mention you were practically stomping across the yard," Melody added dryly, wiggling a finger in her ear. "But of course it would sound louder to me giving my heightened sense of hearing."

Jayden raised his eyebrows as she slowly rotated his right wrist, but he didn't say anything. His wrist had started to feel immensely better, and he took as much time as possible to regain the strength he once had, but a nagging feeling made him wonder if it would ever be as strong as it once was. And that bothered him. He knew Master Xandred was planning something and he knew he had to be at his very best, but he didn't know how he'd manage in a huge battle.

He saw Melody glance over at Jaeger, a mysterious look on her face and then said, "I've noticed that while you're a great offensive fighter, you're weaker in the defense area. You're light on your feet when you're on the offense, but you put a lot of weight on your feet as soon as you slip into defense."

"Not surprised, really," Melody commented before popping the top of her water bottle before taking another swig of water. She swallowed and slapped the palm of her hand over the top before tossing it off to the side.

Jayden picked up his shinai from the ground. "If what you think about Master Xandred does happen, we all need to focus on our weaknesses," he stated. "I agree in thinking that he has something up his sleeve, so we can't just sit around and wait for him to bring his A game. But, at the same time, we have to give Antonio enough time to finish the Black Box."

"Got it," Melody replied, retrieving her abandoned shinai. She spun it at her side before gripping it in both hands, planting her feet on the ground. "Alright, Jay, let's see what you got."

The two Rangers proceeded to spar against each other, all the while Jayden would comment on what Melody was doing wrong and how to fix it. They soon then decided to start practicing with their Spin Swords, but they didn't get that far as Jayden's Samuraizer started ringing.

Jayden's eyebrows twitched as he dropped his arm, pausing in mid attack to hurry over to the bench and grab his Samuraizer. He flipped it open with his thumb, holding it up to his ear. "Yeah?"

"_Dude_," came Mike's voice. He was talking slowly as if he was watching something. "_You're going to want to get over here. It's bad._" Jayden silently turned towards Melody, waving his hand to get her attention. She immediately stopped when she was doing and hurried over to him, Jaeger jumping onto her shoulder. "_There's some stuff, like, everywhere_."

"What is it?" Melody whispered, seeing the look on Jayden's face. "What's wrong?" Jayden didn't answer as Mike continued to explain that he was near the park with Mia, Kevin, and Emily. Melody frowned when Jayden didn't answer and grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand down to press her ear against his Samuraizer. Jayden made a face, pulling it back.

"Mel and I are on our way," Jayden replied before he closed his Samuraizer, turning to face the Purple Ranger. "I'll explain in the car." With that, he hurried inside the Shiba House to change.

"I hate it when he does that," Melody commented to Jaeger, slowly shaking her head.

The two Rangers changed into street clothes before getting into the Shiba car, driving to where their friends were waiting for them. On the way, Jayden explained what Mike had told him, and judging by the Green Ranger's tone, it didn't sound good at all. As soon as they made it to the plaza, Kevin hurried over to them.

"How bad is it?" was the first words out of Jayden's mouth.

Kevin shook his head, pressing his lips together, "You're going to have to take a look and judge for yourself.."

"Where's Antonio?" Melody asked, falling into step beside Kevin. "Didn't you contact him?"

"We tried," Kevin replied, looking annoyed. "But he's not answering his Samuraizer. I can only assume he's fishing and has his music turned up too loud again." He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest, but he didn't say anything else.

"He's been working hard on the Black Box, Kev, give him a break," Jayden replied. "So how bad…is…it?"

He stopped in the middle of his sentence when he spotted the large, red, bubbling puddle in front of him. His nose wrinkled when the smell of sewer water hit his nose. He crouched down next to the puddle, reaching for a twig that sat near his feet. He grasped it in his hand and dipped the end into the water, watching as the twig burned and sizzled in front of their eyes.

"I was afraid this was going to happen," Jayden muttered, looking up into his friends' eyes. "Sanzu River water."

"This is _not_ good," Kevin commented with a shake of his head.

"I don't understand," Melody spoke up. "What would make so much water seep through at one time?"

"Yeah, I mean, we've seen the Netherworld break through to ours before," Emily added, brushing her hair out of her face as a gentle breeze blew.

"I know," Jayden replied with a heavy sigh. He ran his hand over his face before tossing the smoking twig to the ground, stomping on it with his boot. "But, this much water is a bad thing."

"With all of these pools of water, the Nighlok could rehydrate without having to go back to the Sanzu River," Kevin added. "Emily and Mike saw another one near the Plaza when they were skating."

"It was some pretty funky stuff, dude," Mike said shaking his head before he gave a low whistle. "If I hadn't wiped out, I probably would've taken a swan dive in it." He motioned towards his skateboard, pads, and helmet that sat in a pile on the grass a few feet away.

"Guys!" Mia shouted, a little ways off. "Over here!"

The Rangers hurried over to where the Pink Ranger was standing and their jaws dropped when she showed them an even bigger puddle of churning red water. "Oh no," Kevin breathed. "Last time this happened, Mentor said that it was a sign that the Nighlok was growing stronger."

"Looks like you two were right," Jayden said, nodding towards Melody and Jaeger. "Xandred is up to something, and by the looks of the Sanzu water seeping through, he's taken his down time to plan something _big_."

"That's not the only problem, guys," Mia replied, slowly getting to her feet. She pointed, and her friends turned to look at what she was pointed at and their jaws dropped when they saw footprints walking out of the city.

Jaeger jumped off Melody's shoulder and stalked around one of the footprints, his fur standing on end. He dipped his nose and sniffed the puddle, letting out a hiss, revealing his sharp teeth. "Nighlok," he growled, turning to face Jayden.

"Alright, first things first," Jayden spoke up, thinking quickly. "Let's split up and seal up these cracks; then we'll go and find the Nighlok."

"But, we don't know how far into the city these are," Emily protested, her eyes widening. "If we go and seal up every crack we find, the Nighlok could be far away or they could start attacking."

"Ok, we'll just seal up all of the cracks here," Jayden replied, after a moment of silence. He understood the risks of delaying the search for the Nighlok, but it was a risk he was willing to take. "The farther he has to go to recharge himself, the better; he'll probably dry out faster." He clicked his tongue and then added, "Try not to touch the water as well. There's not telling what'll happen if we touch it."

"We should warn people as well," Melody added, pulling her Samuraizer out of her pocket. She tossed it into the air before catching it in one hand. "I mean, if they don't think we're crazy."

"Yeah, that'll be easy," Mike replied with a roll of his eyes. "Excuse me, ma'am, but please don't touch the red, stinky, water, it's not from this Earth and it'll burn the skin off your body."

"Let's just get going," Kevin said with a shake of his head, shoving Mike's shoulder.

The Rangers started heading off in different directions, looking for cracks that needed to be filled as well as explaining to curious onlookers as to what it was and why they shouldn't go anywhere near it to which they were rewarded with odd looks. But once they were able to get the area clear, they used their symbol power to seal up the cracks as best they could, without the area becoming an eyesore to draw even more attention to it. Once they regrouped, they started to follow the tracks out of the city.

"I just don't understand this," Mia commented, a hand to her chin. "If there is a Nighlok out there, why didn't you guys hear the Gap Sensor go off when you were at home?"

"I don't think it's passed through a gap recently," Jayden said with a shake of his head. "This Nighlok has been here for a while. The Gap Sensor would've gone off for sure if it has."

"Not necessarily," Emily replied, slowly shaking her head. "I mean, Deker is…_was_ part Nighlok and he never triggered the Gap Sensor. I mean, unless it was _because_ he's part human that it didn't work."

"Deker never went to the Netherworld," Melody contradicted her, leaning against the railing of the walk bridge out of the city. "Jaeger and I could always sense him here in the city." Then her eyebrows knitted together, "I mean, we all know because of Mia and Jayden that he had his memories erased and the only way to get the spell lifted was for Jayden to defeat him. Maybe he was wandering around trying to jog his memory or something. Y'know, like people with amnesia do."

"But, what Nighlok could've gotten through to this world without tripping the Gap Sensor?" Kevin asked as they slowly started making their way up the walking bridge. "We would've heard for sure if the Gap Sensor went off, Master Xandred hasn't attacked since Deker was destroyed."

"He might not have sent out a Nighlok since Deker was destroyed, but there's one Nighlok unaccounted for," Mia replied, a look of realization crossing her face. "It has to be Arachnitor; he disappeared when we were fighting the Nighlok at the Tengen Gate."

"If that's true, then we have to find that Nighlok fast," Jayden replied, a panic-stricken look briefly crossing his face before it disappeared. "He must've mutated to be able to stay out of the Netherworld and to manage to get that much Sanzu water to seep into our world." He glanced over at Emily. "You are really going to have to step up your work on your symbol power; Kevin, Mike, Mia, Mel, and I don't control the element necessary to _really_ stop the water from coming."

"I'll do my best," Emily replied a look of shock and determination crossing her face.

_I hope Antonio finishes the Black Box soon_, Jayden thought, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. _With __this much water and a Nighlok on the loose, we're going to need all the help we can get._

"But, if this Nighlok has been here for a while, that means it must be using the pools of water to rehydrate itself," Kevin said, snapping his fingers together.

"Now, I've gotta admit," Mike said with a grin. "For a Nighlok, that's pretty smart." His smile quickly faded when he saw the looks on his friends' faces. "Just sayin'."

The Rangers followed the quickly fading footprints through the city and into a large group of trees, following Melody and Jaeger as they were able to use their heightened senses to lead the way. The trees arched, overlapping their branches against each other as if they trying to shut out the sunlight that tried it's best to peek through and light up the area. The sound of trickling water reach their ears as they climbed over fallen trees, walking straight through the trees. The ground crunched beneath their feet as they went, their heads on a swivel in case they could see something in the distance.

"Shit!" Melody cried after a moment of silence as she suddenly stopped walking, looking around, lips pursed.

"What's wrong?" Jayden asked, signaling for everyone else to stop. "You lost the trail?"

"Unfortunately," Melody replied shortly.

There was a crashing sound from above them as the branches shook. Jaeger jumped out of the tree and landed easily on his feet, crouching on the ground for a moment before he turned into his human form. "All of the scents of the forest are throwing me off," Jaeger added, his fingers twitching at his sides, eyes narrowed into slits. "We can still sense the Nighlok, it's still nearby, but we don't know what direction to go in."

"You mean, we're lost?" Emily asked, looking around the clearing.

"What're we going to do now?" Mia asked, turning to face Jayden. "We don't know where we'll end up if we keep going and if we go back, who knows where the Nighlok is going to end up." Jayden stayed silent a muscle in his jaw jumping as he tightly clenched his teeth together.

"Mike, what are you doing?" Kevin asked the Green Ranger who was crouched down on the ground, coating his hand in dirt as he swung his hand back and forth, seeming to clear a small area of twigs and leaves. Mike didn't reply but walked forward a few steps, before he crouched down again, merely placing his hand on the ground. He briefly closed his eyes, letting out a breath of air through his nose.

"It's this way," he then suddenly announced before he started walking again.

Jayden blinked in surprise as he started to follow his friend in green. "Good job, Mike." They followed Mike through the woods, smiles coming to their faces when they realized they were getting closer to the end of the group of trees.

"How'd you do that?" Emily asked as she and Mia brought up the rear. "These footprints disappeared a long time ago."

"Mike, that was _amazing_," Mia added, moving to clap Mike on the shoulder.

Mike merely shrugged, although he had a somewhat cocky grin on his face. He opened his arms and spun in a circle. "The forest is my turf," he explained as he dropped his arms. "I don't know, I just feel like I belong here, I guess? Anyway, I can still track 'em."

"It's better than nothing," Jayden replied, as they entered a clearing. Jayden's eyes narrowed slightly when he saw that they had come to a residential area. A loud scream went up, shortly followed by loud shrieks and cries from a group of people. "I think we've found the Nighlok. Samuraizer!"

"Go go Samurai!" the Rangers shouted in unison as they pulled out their morphers. They drew their kanji in the air and instantly morphed, drawing their Spin Swords and running into the neighborhood, rushing past the frightened citizens, pausing for a moment to direct them out of the neighborhood safely.

"Looks like our suspicions were right," Jayden commented, spotting the spider-like monster.

"Not this creep again," Emily said with a shake of her head. "He's the one that got away."

"He's not getting away this time, that's for sure," Mia replied before they rushed forward to attack the Nighlok. The air was knocked out of her lungs by a well placed kick and she went flying back into a car, a scream of pain erupting from her as her back started to burn.

"Mia," Kevin ducked under a punch from Arachnitor and raced over to the fallen Pink Ranger. "You ok?"

"This guys is stronger than I remember," Mia choked out as she gasped for air. "I'm fine, Kev, I'm fine." She put her hand on Kevin's shoulder and used it to help push herself up to her feet. "We might've gotten here in time. I don't think there's a crack anywhere."

"At least one thing's going our way today," Kevin muttered in reply before he rejoined the battle.

Arachnitor let out a scream of frustration; one that was filled with rage and malice. He charged at the Rangers, swinging his arms back and forth, trying to catching them at an odd angle to knock 'em down. He could barely feel the Ranger's attacks as they swung their swords at them and Melody and Jaeger's attacks merely bounced off the Nighlok, shooting past the Rangers, exploding as it hit the ground, causing even more damage than they wanted.

"Watch it!" Mike shouted as he jumped back as a ball of purple energy nearly slammed into his side. Seconds later, Melody landed in a heap at his feet.

"Sorry, Mike," she replied sitting up, rubbing the back of her head. "It's like this guy is made out of rubber, even my stronger attacks aren't doing anything to him."

"Quick, surround him," Jayden called to the other Rangers. They quickly did as he was told. "Follow my lead." He attached his Lion Disc to his Spin Sword, giving the red object a hard push. The other Ranges did the same with their discs as well. "Spin Sword; Sextuple Slash!"

The Ranger's attacks flew off their swords and hit the Nighlok all over its body, but like their previous advances, the attacks bounced off the Nighlok and ricocheted back towards the Rangers, striking them in the chests, knocking them off their feet. The Nighlok let out a loud laugh before turning and hurrying off, disappearing over the houses.

"Wow," Emily commented, clutching her chest as she sat up. "That monster is really strong."

"Apparently so are we," Mike said between coughs. "I never expected to be on the receiving end of our own attacks." He grabbed his fallen Spin Sword and helped Mia to her feet. "Jaeger, man, you ok?"

Jaeger nodded stiffly, gripping his left shoulder with his right hand. He sucked in a breath before slinging himself back down onto the ground with as much force as he could. Mike winced, his stomach lurching when he heard a loud click, showing that Jaeger's shoulder was knocked out of its socket. "I'll be ok," he replied through clenched teeth.

"That was harder than I thought it would be," Melody said, sliding her Power Sword back into its sheath.

"Don't you remember?" Mike asked. "He mutated."

"And he's totally out of control," Mia agreed with a heavy sigh. "But, what's worse is he's not drying out. We blocked all the cracks near here."

"He must be using an even bigger pool," Kevin replied. "That's probably where he went." He let out a loud growl of frustration. "And we don't know where it is. This city is _huge_. It can be anywhere."

"We need to find it before he hurts anyone else," Emily said, placing a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to calm down. "How are we going to track him down?"

"Well, we won't find him standing around here," Jayden replied. "Let's get home."

* * *

Mike clutched his chest as he slowly lowered himself down onto the ottoman in the Shiba House. He wasn't badly injured, but the dull burning pain was making it a little hard for him to breathe normally. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head to see Emily standing beside him, smiling. She silently handed him a bag of peas and he chuckled, taking it, before sticking his arm under his shirt, pressing the cold bag to his chest, flinching slightly.

"You okay?" she asked, moving to sit down in the chair nearest him.

"Yeah, I'm good, Em," Mike replied nodding. "If we don't find that pool though, Arachnitor is just going to keep running off."

"I don't blame him," Melody replied as she slowly rotated her shoulder, her face briefly contorted with pain. "I'd do the same thing."

"If the Sanzu Water's coming through, that means the river's rising," Kevin pointed out, his head in his hands. "If he keeps attacking, people are going to keep getting scared and hurt which will cause the waters to rise even _more _and—"

"And, it's a never ending cycle," Mia finished for him as Jayden walked into the room. "How's Antonio doing?"

"I can't ask him to put any more effort in to the Black Box then he's already doing," Jayden replied, somewhat distracted as he and Mentor entered the room. "The river's just going to keep rising while Master Xandred is still around, there's no changing that. Mentor slapped the table with his palm, revealing the map of the city. Groups of red dots, some small, and some large immediately started flashing.

"There are many spots where the Sanzu River is seeping into our world," he explained to the Rangers, pointing to the dots. "It looks like Xandred may be planning to flood the Earth. In the last great battle, he nearly succeeded."

"We'll have to work as a team," Kevin said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Even _harder_ than we have before."

"There are so many places on this map," Emily said with a worried look on her face. "How are we going to catch the Nighlok?"

"He'll need to rehydrate," Jayden explained, his eyes scanning the map, "so we'll catch him at the source." He drew a circle around one of the bigger dots with his finger and it started to emit ripples of yellow light from around the dot. "The Nighlok have tried to ambush us before, but this time it's our turn. We're going to have to trap him; and the only way to do that is to corner him and take him by surprise."

"Leave it to me," Melody said with a grin, her eyes flashing purple. "Surprise is my middle name."

* * *

**A/N:** And there's the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I'll be updating One of the Guys II in the next few days. (If there's ever a decent amount of time between updates of this fic or One of the Guys II, it's because I've been going back to correct the spelling/grammar mistakes in all my fics.)

**~MysticMelody101~**


	3. Chapter 3: The Black Box

**.:Chapter Three – The Black Box:.**

* * *

"Ok, the main thing with this is we have to give Antonio as much time a possible so he can finish the Black Box," Melody commented as she paced back and forth in the living room. She had a hand to her chin and a look of concentration was on her face as she thought. "Problem is, I don't think we can really afford that much."

"Why is it taking so long anyway?" Kevin asked. He was becoming impatient, and like the rest of the Rangers, he was worried that if they didn't do anything soon, something terrible could happen. It was truly a race around the clock to make the first move before more Sanzu Water seeped into their world. He made a face as he suddenly moved in his seat, pain shooting into his lower back. "We _need_ to get back out there and defeat that Nighlok."

"Give him time," Jayden advised, a muscle in his jaw twitching, "Antonio needs to get this right, otherwise the effects could be dangerous."

"Dangerous how?" Emily asked, a look of alarm crossing her face.

"Yeah, I mean, you've never told us what the Black Box does," Mia replied, brushing her hair out of her face.

"What difference does it make if can't spare Antonio time to use it?" Mike asked running his hands over his face. "That should be our main priority."

Kevin shook his head, letting out a sigh through his nose. He didn't understand why Jayden, or Mentor for that matter, wouldn't just tell them what the Black Box was used for, but he knew when to leave a subject alone. The most important thing to him about the Black Box, and the only thing he cared about, was that it would give them extra power.

"Which goes back to my plan," Melody said as she stopped pacing. "We know that one of the largest pools of the Sanzu Water is in the downtown construction site." She walked over to the map and jabbed her finger at one of the larger pulsating dots. "If we go and ambush the Nighlok there, there are other places for him to recharge, even with smaller cracks."

"So, we should go and seal all the cracks, even the smallest ones, we can find?" Emily asked, clasping her hands together.

"Exactly," Melody replied with a nod. "With this big pool of Sanzu Water downtown, I doubt Arachnitor would even touch the others. So we seal the other cracks, _forcing_ him to go to this one—"

"And when we seal _that _crack, there's nowhere else for the Nighlok to go," Kevin added, thinking out loud, rubbing his chin. "So once we fight him, the longer he goes without replenishing—"

"The weaker he gets, giving us the upper hand," Melody agreed with a nod. "He's got all those…_appendages_ so the best thing to do is to attack him from all around. He may be big, but he's not that fast when his feet are touching the ground."

"Brilliant," Mike said, holding his hand up for a high five. Melody slapped his palm and he winced in pain.

"Ooh, sorry," she said through a sheepish smile. "Anyway, with Arachnitor having disappeared, he could be using any of those cracks, but I bet he's going with the larger pool because it can be replenished quickly."

"Let's get going," Jayden said, getting to his feet. He peered down at the map on the table. His eyes darted back and forth as he took in the map, silently memorizing it. "We have a lot of ground to cover."

"Let's split up, we can cover more ground," Mike replied, slowly getting to his feet, lifting his Samuraizer above the map, taking a picture of it. "Emily and I will go to the marina."

"Hmmm," Kevin thought as he looked over the map. "Mia and I will take the plaza; make sure the cracks are actually sealed well, and then we'll check the surrounding areas."

"That leaves the harbor and the city for us," Melody commented, looking over the map.

"Stay on your guard, guys," Jayden warned everybody. "The Nighlok could be anywhere."

"What about Antonio?" Emily asked as the Rangers slowly got to their feet, groaning and making faces in pain as their sore muscles stretched.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Mentor offered when Jayden hesitated. "You better get going."

The Rangers nodded and hurried out of the house to pile into the Shiba family car with Jayden at the wheel. No one said a word as they stared out the windows, silently keeping track of whether or not they passed any cracks on the way, or if they had any sightings of the Nighlok. Mike and Emily were dropped off first, and then Melody and Jayden left the car, leaving Kevin and Mia to take over. Kevin honked the car horn twice and gave Jayden a nod before he pulled the car away from the curb.

The two of them searched through the area, occasionally finding a crack they had to seal off. The cracks weren't that big and only a little bit of the Sanzu River water had actually seeped into their world. It was harder coming up with a distraction for the bystanders as one of the two of them tried to seal the crack that sat in a heavily populated area, but they somehow managed.

_It's still going to take a little while for the river water to dry up, so there's no telling what other Nighloks could do when Master Xandred sends 'em here_, Melody thought, her head bent as she walked, deep in thought. _They could mutate at any second if we don't seal up that large pool. That Nighlok is stronger than we could've imagined. We really need that Black Box. There must be something about it that we're missing._

"You're not even listening to me are you?"

Melody blinked before turning to face Jayden. "Sorry, what?" she asked, blinking her eyes.

"I was saying, I think we should head back," Jayden commented, turning way from the shop stalls, slightly shaking his head, when a woman tried shoving a bracelet in his face. He lifted his Samuraizer to his ear and said, "We've got all the cracks we could find and the Nighlok hasn't shown up once."

"Oh, yeah, good idea," Melody replied with a nod.

"What's up?" Jayden asked as he waited for Kevin to answer his Samuraizer.

"I've been thinking," Melody said slowly, a look of confusion on her face, "Antonio should be done with the Black Box by now. He's been working on it for months."

Jayden stared at her for a moment before he jumped when he heard Kevin's voice in his ear, "Yeah, Kev, Mel and I are outside the Farmer's Market. We've sealed up all the cracks down here. Yeah…see you soon." He used his hand to close his Samuraizer and crossed his arms over his chest. "Antonio's been working hard on the box—"

"And it took him a little over two weeks to reprogram the Clawzord," Melody interrupted him, making a face. "_And _he was able to make a morpher out of a broken cell phone. Honestly, I think this should be cake walk for him by now." She pressed her lips together for a moment before asking, "You had the Black Box in your pocket when you were poisoned right?"

"Right," Jayden replied with a short nod.

"And in between the time when the Nighlok attacked the Tengen Gate and Antonio and I found you outside with Octaroo, you had it on you the whole time?" Melody asked.

Jayden's face paled for a moment and Melody could see that his mind was racing. "I don't remember," he slowly replied, shaking his head, "I must've blacked out sometime. I-I remember drinking the tea and having one of the Tengen Gate guardians trying to help me, and then I was outside and Octaroo was trying to get me to show him the sealing symbol."

"I was afraid of that," Melody muttered. "So, somewhere in between the time we went to fight the Nighlok and when Antonio showed up—"

"Octaroo could've tampered with the Black Box," Jayden finished for her with a heavy sigh, "making sure we wouldn't finish it."

"Hurting Antonio in the process," Melody said with a nod. "I have an idea; but it might sound crazy."

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Kevin said as he and the other Rangers hurried into the Shiba House, "you think Octaroo tampered with the Black Box and is making it impossible for Antonio to complete it?"

"But, we brought the Black Box home," Emily said with a shake of her head. "Antonio's done some good work on it."

"He hasn't been close to finishing it until now," Melody explained as she stopped walking to face the other Rangers. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I have a feeling that I'm right."

"Rangers," Mentor Ji said as he met them in the hallway. Jaeger padded up behind him. "Did everything go ok?"

"Every crack we could find has been sealed, Mentor," Kevin replied with a nod.

"Good," Jaeger said, his whiskers twitching. "That Nighlok hasn't resurfaced since you've left. There's no telling where he is now."

"That's good, that'll give us more time to figure this out," Jayden replied, striding past Ji and Jaeger, pushing the sliding door to the indoor dojo open to find Antonio lying on the ground, his Samurai Morpher inches from his hand.

"Antonio!" Mia cried as they hurried over to the fallen Gold Ranger. She and Emily reached out a hand, shaking Antonio, but he didn't move. "Antonio, wake up." Antonio's lips twitched and his eyes fluttered, but he didn't get up. "Guys, Mel might be right."

"Right about what?" Mentor asked, a look of worry crossing his face.

"I think the Black Box was tampered with when we went to retrieve it at the Tengen Gate," Melody replied with a sigh. She then quickly explained to Jaeger and Mentor what she had previously explained to Jayden and the other Rangers. Mentor listened with a grim look on his face.

"But, I haven't sensed anything wrong with the Black Box," Jaeger said as he walked over to Antonio. He ran his tongue over the Gold Ranger's cheek and Antonio's nose twitched. His eyes fluttered open before he blinked a few times, sitting up fully.

"Neither did I," Melody replied as she and the other Rangers helped Antonio sit up. "But, it's not the first time we couldn't sense something."

"When'd you guys get here?" Antonio mumbled, blinking rapidly, looking at his friends as they surrounded him.

"Take it easy, dude," Mike said, placing a hand on Antonio's shoulder. He then grabbed his friend's morpher, sliding it into his pocket. "You passed out for a second, just rest for a little bit."

"No, I've…I've got to get this done," Antonio said struggling to his feet, his knees barely holding him up. "I have to give it everything I've got."

"You give it anymore and you won't be able to stand up," Mia commented, standing by his side, making sure he was ok.

"We won't have a Gold Ranger _or _a Black Box," Jayden said in a low voice. Antonio slowly rolled his head to turn and look at his best friend. "And we need both." He swallowed thickly and added, "And I need my best friend."

"You think the Black Box has been tampered, do you have an idea of how to reverse it?" Kevin asked, turning to Mel. "If you can finish the Black Box, then Antonio can rest, and we'll have more power to face the Nighlok."

"We've seen what the Black Box has done to Antonio, Kev, you can't expect Mel to do the same," Emily said, her eyes wide, looking at Kevin as if he just appeared in that spot out of thin air. "We'd be down two Rangers."

"Nevertheless, I _do_ have an idea," Melody replied. "Antonio, what Symbol Power did you use to get the power of the discs into the Black Box."

Antonio blinked, shaking his head before he trained his eyes on her, "Absorb."

"Good luck," Mike said, placing a hand on Melody's shoulders as he and Jayden helped carry/drag Antonio out of the way, the girls following them. "Be careful."

"Got it," Melody replied, getting to her feet, pulling her Samuraizer out of her pocket, flipping it open with her thumb. She fixed her gaze on the Black Box before glancing briefly at the object in her hand. _Hope this works. _She lifted her hand and started drawing a purple symbol into the air. "Symbol power; _release_!" She watched the symbol hang in the air for a moment before she swiped her hand through the air, shooting the symbol into the Black Box that sat on a pedestal in the middle of the room.

It was silent for a moment, and no one moved, keeping their eyes on the Black Box. It suddenly started to glow in a black/purple light as it lifted into the air. A humming sound filled the room as it started to shake, slowly at first and then more and more violently as time went on.

"Holy shit," Mike muttered as he watched the Black Box float into the air. "She was right." His jaw dropped when he saw a black and purple swirling mist start pouring out of the box, floating towards the Purple Ranger. "Mel—"

"Mel!" Emily shouted, trying to get the girl's attention. But, Melody didn't move. She stood, staring at the swirling mass, unblinking. "Why isn't she moving."

"It's the Darkness," Jaeger explained in an awed tone. "I've never seen it like this before."

"Is that why she's staring at it?" Mike asked.

"No," Jaeger replied with a shake of her head. "She's scared; she's _never _seen it in this form before."

Jayden pulled out his Samuraizer and drew a symbol into the air. "Symbol Power; Light!" A flash of bright light illuminated the room, causing the smoke and mist to back up, making a loud screeching sound. Suddenly, a shaft of the mist shot across the room, hitting Jayden in the stomach, knocking him back against the other Rangers, knocking them over as the light disappeared. "Antonio; help me."

"I can't," Antonio muttered, his jaw dropped as he stared at the cloud of darkness. "I'm too weak. The Black Box…it took a lot out of me."

The Rangers watched as the swirling mist suddenly expanded with a loud bang, seeping past the Rangers, knocking Melody off her feet. She hit the wall behind her and fell to the floor in a heap. She was knocked out by the time she was on the floor.

...

..

_Melody was sinking, falling into a void; kicking her arms and legs, her heart hammering in her chest as she anticipated the ground to rush up to her at any moment. She could feel the air around her get colder as she fell into it, and even though she knew there was no escaping it, she still kept her eyes focused on the light, fading fast above her. She reached towards it, but she fell faster and faster.  
_

_She looked around her, but saw nothing but darkness, sweeping past her, making it hard for her to breathe._ _Suddenly, laughter rang, loud, coming from someone with a deep voice. She pressed her hands to her ears, but she couldn't escape the laughter. Her feet suddenly touched the dark floor. Her breaths came out quick and uneven as she looked around. _

_Before she could take a step forward, she felt a hand grab the back of her leg; the laughter getting louder each second. She screamed in terror and tried to kick the hand off, but it was no good. The grip was as cold as death itself. She turned around to see a pair of bright, glowing, white eyes staring up at her before a figure loomed out of the darkness. Something tall. His body and head were wreathed in shadows. All Melody saw of him was the bright, white, six slit eyes and the insane grin on his lips; long locks of, what she assumed to be hair, hung down past his face._

_Melody watched as the figure got taller, removing its cold fingers from around her leg. She quickly realized that the laughter was coming from the monster. The monster gave a snicker of triumph. _

_"At last," he mused aloud, his deep voice sending shivers down Melody's spine. He started walking towards her and Melody quickly backed away from him, glancing over her shoulder. She didn't know where she was going; there was no light to show her the way out of wherever she was. "My army begins with a single soldier. And a powerful one from what I gather."_

_"Who—who are you?" Melody asked, surprised at how quiet her voice came out of her mouth._

_"First one soldier, then an army," he muttered as if Melody hadn't said a word. The figure stopped walking towards her; still wreathed in darkness, still smiling the same mad grin. He raised his clothed arm, and a sword appeared in his gray fingers. "An army of Darkness."_

_Suddenly, the place was illuminated by fire. Melody watched as a picture of a burning barn appeared in front of her; Dalia and Deker's barn. She instantly recognized it from Mia's story. She watched as Dalia pulled a dying Deker out of the burning house; watched as she pleaded with someone to help her, and watched as she and Deker were changed for the rest of their lives, knowing that they would be tortured for the rest of their lives._

_"A strong army," the monster whispered, watching the scene with glee. He glanced over at Melody. "Of three. I know of the true power you hold inside, young one." Melody glanced back and forth from the figure in the scene in front of her to the monster. _

"Melody," a soft voice called her name.

_"You're the Nighlok King," Melody whispered. "Y-you're the one who—" she swallowed thickly, "you tricked her."_

_The scene suddenly changed and Melody let out a gasp of shock. Panorama City was in ruin; trees and buildings were on fire, and the ground was flooded with rushing Sanzu River Water. People screamed and cried for help as they desperately searched for lost loved ones, trying to get to higher ground._

"Mel."

_"A future that will come true," said a voice from behind her, "if you don't do everything you can to stop it." Melody turned around to see a female with a veil covering her head, walking up to her. The girl was in medieval __dress__, wearing a pale blue gown with white lacing on its long __sleeves. Melody could make out wavy blond hair curling around the neckline of the veil, which sat in place by an intricate silver band that sat on around her forehead. _

_"Who are you?" Melody whispered._

"It's me, Mia."

_"You'll come to figure that out soon enough," the woman replied, placing a hand on Melody's shoulder. The woman turned to face the Nighlok King. "You will not take her."_

_"We'll see how strong she is," the Nighlok King replied, glaring at the woman. "This is her destiny. She was given these powers for a reason. As was I."_

_"You were meant to help me keep the peace in our land," the woman replied in a low voice. "You will not change what is her destiny." The Nighlok King started laughing again as it sunk back down into the shadows._

_"How did this happen?" Melody asked, looking at the destruction in front of her. "We failed?" She did not get an answer, and looked around to see that the woman was gone. "Where'd you go? Who are you?"_

"Come back to us, Mel."

_Melody felt herself floating. The light above her started to get brighter. "I don't understand," Melody called out. "What's going to happen?"_

_"This won't be easy for you Melodia," the soft female voice echoed around her, "or the others. Follow your heart and all will be revealed in time. You don't have to face it alone!"_

"Mel! Mel, wake up!"

Melody's eyes snapped open and she sat up, taking in a shuddering gasp. A hand pushed a cup of water into her face and she took it with shaky hands, quickly downing it, before setting it aside. She briefly closed her eyes letting out a deep breath of air.

"You okay, chica?" Antonio asked, peering down at her. Melody looked up at him and nodded her head.

"You look better," she muttered.

Antonio gave a half smile. "Good, cause, you don't," he replied truthfully, earning a glare from Mia.

"Are you _sure _you're ok?" Mia asked, looking down at her friend.

"Yeah, yeah," Melody replied with a nod, holding up her hands. Mike and Kevin grasped them and they helped her to her feet. "M'fine. Really. What happened?"

"You blacked out," Jayden replied as she put her hand to her head, seeming off balance for a moment. "You were right though; the Black Box _was _tampered with. I can only assume the Darkness was taking bits of Antonio's life force the closer he got to completing the box."

"It's gone now, thanks to you," Mike said, clapping Melody on the back.

"Oh, good," Melody replied with a nod, pulling her power disc out of her pocket. "I have one more thing left to do."

"Are you sure about this?" Emily asked, a worried look on her face as she exchanged glances with Mentor Ji. "That took a lot out of you. Maybe you should rest."

"I agree," Mentor Ji replied. "There's no telling what side effects could still arise if you try and program the box."

"The only way to keep the Darkness out is to put some in," Melody muttered, her eyes trained on the Black Box, tightening her grip around the disc in her hand.

"You must not push yourself too much, Melody," Ji commented, placing his hand on her shoulder. We all understand the importance of getting the Black Box finished, but don't forget; you're important too."

"Besides, it's my responsibility," Antonio added, reaching his hand for his Power Morpher, that Mike still held. "You guys trusted me to complete the Black Box and I will."

"No, Antonio," Mia said with a shake of her head. "Not when you're this weak." He looked back and forth between the two of them. "You _both_ need to rest and get your strength back up."

"I'm fine," Melody replied, stubbornly. "I know I can do this. If it's making Antonio's job any easier, then I want to help."

"Dude, cold you like…stop her?" Mike asked, turning towards Jaeger, who was sitting on the floor, licking at a forepaw before running it over his face.

"Unfortunately, once she gets an idea in her head, it's pretty much impossible to get it out or to change her mind," Jaeger said with a heavy sigh. "Believe me, I've tried." His eyes narrowed into slits. "I believe he can do it and so should you."

"I-I do, it's just—" Mike trailed off, shaking his head. "Whatever you say, dude." He then curled his hand into a fist and bumped Melody's shoulder. "Knock it out of the park, girl." He and the other Rangers backed up to give her space.

"Symbol Power; Absorb," Melody called out, drawing the symbol into the air. She then quickly drew another symbol. "Darkness."

The purple disc in her hand glowed until small symbols floated out of the disc and into the air. It combined to create a small image of the DarkLion Foldingzord before it disappeared into the Black Box. Melody's knees buckled and she dropped to the ground, breathing heavily, but grinning nonetheless.

"That wouldn't have been nearly as easy as it was if you hadn't been working your butt off on it," Melody said to Antonio as she got to her feet. "Great job, Antonio."

Suddenly, the Gap Sensor went off. Jayden hurried into the other room to check the map before he came back. "Finished just in time," he muttered. "Antonio, you stay here and finish the Black Box and be careful."

"You got it, amigo," Antonio replied, giving a thumbs up. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Mentor promised with a nod. "Mel, I suggest you stay here, too."

"No way," Melody replied with a shake of her head."I'm feeling ten times better already and I'm itching to fight that Nighlok and to seal up the last pool of river water." _It's the first step to saving the Earth as well._

"The minute something's wrong I'll take her back," Jaeger replied, turning into his human form, giving a bow. "You can trust me, Jayden."

"…Alright, let's go," Jayden replied after a moment of silence. "You sure you're ok to fight?"

"Never been better," Melody replied with a nod, her eyes flashing.


	4. Chapter 4: Super Samurai

**.:Chapter Four – Super Samurai:.**

* * *

"This is the place," Jayden muttered as the Rangers all got out of the Shiba family car, making their way into the construction site that loomed over head. But, not before checking to see if there was anybody working there or if there were any police officers patrolling the area; the whole place was roped off with yellow tape. A large "KEEP OUT" sign was tied to one long line of the yellow tape, whilst another sign bearing the words "Advantage Constructions Co." was tied near it, with a phone number. "Let's find that Nighlok."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Mike commented, glancing at the splotches of river water that sat on the concrete in the open area below them.

"I hope Antonio gets here soon," Emily commented, slowly looking around the area, keeping an eye out for the Nighlok, "I don't like going into this without him."

"He'll be here soon," Mia replied, placing a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder, "We need that Black Box if we're going to stand a chance against this Nighlok."

"Mel, are you sure you're up for this?" Kevin asked from the front of the group, turning around to face the Purple Ranger who was a little ways behind everyone else. "Maybe you should've stayed back at the Shiba House."

Melody didn't reply for a minute as they slowly made their way into an empty parking garage. "I'm _fine_, Kev," Melody finally replied, training her piercing eyes on him. "And if you ask me that one more time I'll shove a rock up your nose." She gave a rock at her feet a hard kick to emphasize her point.

Mike chuckled and elbowed Melody in the side. "It'd go well with the stick up his ass."

Kevin rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Could you be serious about this?" he asked, clearly annoyed. "The Nighlok is still on the loose. We won't find him if we keep horsing around."

"Alright," Jayden said turning around to face his team. "Kev, Mel, you come with me. Mia, Mike, and Emily, you stay here in case the Nighlok pops up. We're going to go search ahead. We'll call you if we find 'em."

"Um, sure," Mia replied with a nod, exchanging glances with Mike and Emily; both of who just shrugged. "Be careful."

As Mia, Mike, and Emily moved to find a place to sit down, out of sight from the open area, Jayden, Kevin, and Melody continued forward, into the heart of the construction center. "Keep your eyes peeled," Jayden said under his breath. "We're going to have to be careful when we're fighting with all this river water around everywhere. It could be fatal if we accidentally tripped over something while we're fighting."

"Have you ever seen this much river water before?" Kevin asked, sliding his hand into his jeans pockets.

"Never," Jayden replied, shaking his head. "When Xandred was around before…I wasn't anywhere near the crack. All the river water drained downtown. But, I know it was pretty bad."

"Must've been scary," Melody commented. A muscle in Jayden's jaw twitched but he didn't say anything. She suddenly turned to her left when they came to an opening. "It's over here."

"It kinda scares me how you can do that," Kevin commented, following behind her and Jayden.

"I'll be honest with you, it scares me too, sometimes," Melody replied, glancing at him from over her shoulder. "Most times I feel like my powers are more of a curse than an addition to the team."

"Don't' sell yourself short," Jayden said with a shake of his head as he and Kevin hurried to fall into step with her. "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have figured out what was stopping Antonio from finishing the Black Box."

"He'd do anything to get the talisman completed anyway," Melody replied with a shake of her head. "He doesn't want to let you down, Jayden. It's also why he's been training so hard and everything."

"We've _all_ been working hard," Kevin corrected her, putting a hand on Jayden's shoulder for a moment before he removed it. A serious look crossed his face. "We can't forget that we have to keep Jayden safe so he can work out the sealing symbol."

Jayden quickened his step, moving ahead of the two Rangers. Kevin and Melody exchanged glances but didn't say anything. "This must be the source," he announced as he neared the edge of the structure, looking down over a large pool of Sanzu Water. "When he shows up, he's in for a surprise."

"Wonder how long that'll take," Melody mused aloud as she and Kevin crouched down by a concrete pillar. She suddenly shivered as if she was cold, and rolled her shoulders.

"What's up?" Jayden asked, glancing over at her. "Do you sense the Nighlok?"

"Yeah, but…" Melody trailed off, looking over her shoulder. "I felt something else. I don't know; it was strange."

As the Rangers waited, the sun rose higher and higher above them, slowly moving across the sky. Occasionally, they would check in with Mike, Mia, and Emily to see if they had a glimpse of the Nighlok. Jayden soon started to pace, getting restless.

"Where is that Nighlok?" he asked, tightly gripping his Samuraizer in his hand. He flipped it open and brought up the picture of the map in the Shiba House.

"Could we be wrong?" Kevin spoke up, stretching his legs as he got up from his crouched position.

"We're in the right spot," Melody reminded him. Kevin still looked doubtful. "What?"

"The map _definitely_ identified this site," Jayden replied. He suddenly snapped his fingers and turned to the two other Rangers. "But, that just means this general area. We saw this pool and assumed."

"Of course," Kevin said with a groan. "This place is so big. There _could_ be another pool."

"And while we've been waiting here for the Nighlok, he could be replenishing himself, making himself stronger than we could ever imagine," Melody said as she raked her fingers through her hair.

"Can you use your powers to find where the Nighlok is?" Jayden asked, turning to Melody. She nodded and waved a glowing hand in front of her face and her eyes started glowing. "Kev, get the others over here. We'll have Emily seal this crack while we go find the other Nighlok."

"I'm on it," Kevin replied as he lifted his Samuraizer to his ear, giving Melody an odd look as her glowing eyes darted around.

"Got it," she announced a second later, blinking. "There's a pool on the other side of this structure, on Chesapeake Rd." She then looked over at Kevin, who was wrapping up his conversation with Mia as Jayden started to walk away. "Kev?"

"Let's go," Kevin replied with a nod as she flipped his Samuraizer shut.

Jayden nodded and the three of them took off running. Their feet pounded on the concrete and the sound echoed around the vast area. They could hear Mike, Mia, and Emily's voices echo from the direction they were coming in as well. They jumped around chunks of concrete that lay in their path before coming to an opening.

Jayden threw his arm out to stop Kevin and Melody from moving forward and put a finger to his lips, slowly shaking his head from side to side. Hearing a snorting and grunting noise, the three Rangers slowly leaned out past the pillar they were hiding behind and saw the Nighlok standing ankle deep in a pool of Sanzu River Water, slurping it into its mouth as fast as possible. It was surrounded by concrete walls, as if whatever building was going to sit on top of it was eventually going to lead to an underground room.

"No wonder we couldn't find the Nighlok," Melody whispered, slapping her palm on the concrete. "We wasted so much time." She then groaned, putting a hand up to her nose. "_Man_ that stuff stinks."

"We're not going to waste anymore time just standing here," Jayden replied, turning to Kevin, "Call the others." Kevin nodded, peering out at the Nighlok as Melody followed Jayden.

"_Yeah_?" Mia's voice came over the Samuraizer.

"We found the Nighlok," Kevin replied. "We're located on the other side of the structure facing Chesapeake Drive." Movement caught his eye and he saw Jayden and Melody moving as quickly and as quietly as they could towards the Nighlok. They were on the ground and were jumping around chunks of concrete and rocks. "Go down two floors and meet us there."

"_Alright, we're on our way_," Mia replied. Kevin heard shuffling in the background. "_Be careful._"

"You too," Kevin replied before rushing to follow behind Jayden and Melody. He caught up with them in a darkened corner. "The others are on their way." He peered over a fallen concrete pillar and over at where the Nighlok was. He couldn't see the monster, but saw bits of the river water being thrown into the air. "We're going to have to figure out a way to surround him."

"That's going to be harder than I thought," Melody whispered. "This place is larger than I assumed it would be." She looked over to where the Nighlok was and shook her head. "I don't think we can get any closer."

"_Moogers_!" The rangers whirled around at the sudden shout and saw Octaroo standing behind them, pointing his staff at the open area. Immediately Moogers slithered out of gaps, filling in the area.

"_You_!" Melody growled, her eyes flashing as she glared at Octaroo. "Looks like Master Xandred is loosening his leash around you."

Octoroo's eyes narrowed in anger and he spat, "Looks like your plan backfired, Rangers."

"Looks like this just got tougher," Jayden commented, his jaw tight with anger and frustration. He let out a breath of air through his nose before standing up, revealing himself. Kevin and Melody instantly did the same.

"Don't worry," Kevin said to Jayden as the Red Ranger stared down the Moogers. He jumped when the Nighlok suddenly jumped out of its "hiding spot" and landed behind the Moogers. "I've got your back, Jay."

"We're not going anywhere," Melody added and Jayden slowly nodded. The sound of rapid footsteps signaled the approach of the other Rangers and Mia, Mike, and Emily quickly fell in line with everyone else. "We _all_ have your back."

"Let's do this thing," Mike said with a grin, tossing his Samuraizer in the air, catching it in his hand. "I'm ready to squash this bug."

"Samuraizer!" Jayden called out. The other Rangers immediately followed his lead and yelled with him, "Go, go Samurai!" They traced their respective symbols in the air, but as they disappeared in front of them, they didn't morph like they usually would.

"What's going on?" Mia asked, staring down at her Samuraizer and then at her clothes. She tugged on her shirt, a confused look on her face. "What happened?"

"We didn't morph," Melody spoke aloud, pointing out the obvious.

"This has never happened before," Kevin commented as Mike let out a low whistle. "Something's blocking us from morphing." Arachnitor grunted as he moved forward. Kevin took a step back, his heart starting to pound in his chest. "We're in trouble."

"Wait," Emily said, turning towards Kevin. "When you and Antonio went after the slippery Nighlok. You couldn't morph then, right?"

"They could morph, they just could send out a signal strong enough to call us on our Samuraizers when they were in trouble," Jayden replied, sinking into a fighting stance as the Moogers jumped closer to them.

"Exactly," Kevin replied, looking around the area. His eyes suddenly widened and he pointed a ways from them. "There! We've crossed an evil barrier."

"That must've been what I felt," Melody commented, rubbing her chin. "Which means Octaroo was here the whole time. He knew what we were up to."

"That's right, Pathetic Rangers," Octaroo replied with a gleeful laugh. "And you fell right into my trap."

Jayden quietly drew a symbol into the air, his Spin Sword appearing in his hands. He tilted his head back and forth, cracking his neck as he stared down the Nighlok. He spotted another symbol out of the corner of his eye as he rested his sword on his shoulder.

"Kevin and I will handle the barriers," he announced. "And be careful; there's a lot of Sanzu Water around." He sucked in a breath of air trough his nose, and made a face at the smell. He spat on the ground and added, "Its dangerous stuff."

He then charged forward, slashing at Moogers as he tried to get to one of the barriers. He pushed off a concrete slab with one foot, launching himself into the air. He used his other foot to kick a Mooger in the chest, knocking it away from him. "Come on Antonio," Jayden said under his breath as he ducked down underneath a Mooger's kick, "we need you."

Across the construction area, Melody and Octaroo slowly circled each other, glaring at each other. "You make the first move, Octaroo!" Melody said, tightening her grip around her Spin Sword.

"You will fall Purple Ranger, no matter if I make the first move or not," Octaroo said, looking into her eyes. "We know all about you in the Netherworld. You'll join us soon enough; it's your destiny and you know it."

"Not on your life, Noodle-Face!" Melody replied, her eyes flashing. She pushed off the edge of her foot, rushing forward in a swift attack, jumping around little pools of Sanzu Water. She let out a small scream as se swung her Spin Sword at Master Xandred's minion. Octaroo quickly swung up his staff, blocking her attack.

The force of Octaroo's swing jarred Melody's movement, sending a shockwave up her arm. He pushed her sword away and swung his staff forward, slamming it into her stomach, causing her to double over in pain as the air left her lungs.

"Is that too much for you, Purple Ranger?" Octaroo asked in a taunting tone as he used his long tentacles to wrap around Melody's body, pinning her arms to the side, lifting her high into the air before tossing her aside like a rag doll. She went flying through the air before crashing to the ground, knocking Mike over. He nearly landed in a pool of Sanzu water, but managed to stop himself with his Spin Sword.

"You alright?" Mike asked, quickly getting to his feet, grabbing Melody's upper arm helping her to her feet as well.

"I'm alive aren't I?" she asked, pushing the tip of her Spin Sword into the ground to help her stand. She turned to go after Octaroo again but found that he had disappeared. "Octaroo won't be the next time I run into him."

"Take all your anger out on the Moogers," Mike suggested as a group of fish-like enemies surrounded the two of them. "Looks like they're not going away anytime soon; not with those barriers up." He quickly shifted his grip to a backhanded grip on his sword and jabbed the hilt into a Mooger's chest as he jumped forward.

"Let me use this for a second," Melody said, reaching for Mike's sword. "Duck." Mike did as he was told and ducked down to the ground. Melody gripped the two swords in her hands, beckoning the Moogers forward. As they all jumped towards her, she spun in a fast circle, holding her arms out in a 'T' striking the Moogers across the chests, causing them to fall to the ground in pain.

"Good night, girl," Mike commented as Melody slowly stopped spinning. He held out his hand for his sword and Melody slapped the hilt of the sword into his palm. "You would've given me a bad haircut if I didn't move."

"_Mia_!"

Mike and Melody turned in Emily's direction when they heard her loud scream and saw the blonde haired girl trying to get towards Mia who was struggling against two Moogers, crouching in front of a pool of Sanzu water. She was bending back against the force of the two Moogers using their blades to push down on Mia's Spin Sword. The ends of her hair barely touched the water, but was already crackling and steaming, sending a foul odor into the air.

Melody licked her lips before letting out a shrill whistle. Jaeger appeared at her side and instantly drew his sword from his hilt, a growl rumbling in his throat as he watched the Moogers dance around him. "J," Melody said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "go help Mia."

Jaeger looked around until he spotted the Pink Ranger and nodded. "You got it," he replied before letting out a loud caterwaul, launching himself into the air. He landed next to the two Moogers advancing themselves on Mia and rushed forward, slamming his shoulder into them, knocking them aside.

"Thanks," Mia breathlessly replied, straightening and quickly moving away from the pool of bubbling red water.

"Don't mention it," Jaeger replied, his eyes shifting to a spot over her shoulder. Mia turned and saw that Jayden and Kevin ad reached the evil barriers and had successfully destroyed them. Mia morphed in front of Jaeger's eyes.

"Yes," Mia cheered, slapping him a high five. "Our powers are back."

"Time to take out that Nighlok," Jayden replied as he, Kevin, and Mike, rushed past her.

She tightly gripped her Spin Sword in her hands and hurried after them, Jaeger falling into step beside her. Arachinator shook with anger his tentacles shot out at Jayden. They wrapped around his body and with a hard tug, Jayden was pulled off his feet. He let out a small scream as he was thrown through the air, crashing into a slab of cement on the ground.

Arachnitor laughed, turning away from the groaning, slow moving Red Ranger, and faced the others, his eyes on his abdomen glowing before shooting purple discs of energy at them. The Rangers screamed as the attack hit them dead on, knocking them off their feet and into the pile of rubble behind them.

"He's too strong," Kevin muttered, his vision swimming before him as he tried to push himself up on his arms. Red boots suddenly appeared in front of his face and he grabbed onto Jayden's ankle as the Red Ranger bent over, and grabbed his upper arm tying to help the Blue Ranger to his feet.

"Stay strong," Jayden wheezed, his chest burning. "We have to keep fighting."

"_Guys; I did it_!"

Jayden turned at the sudden voice and blinked rapidly trying to clear his spinning vision when he got a flash of gold. "Antonio?" he asked, unsure of what he was actually looking at. Antonio ran over to Jayden, holding out the Black Box.

"I did it, amigo," Antonio repeated as he got closer to his friend. Jayden just stared at him, confused and Antonio grabbed Jayden's gloved hand, opening it, placing the Black Box on his outstretched palm. "Looks like I was just in time, too." He grinned behind his helmet and handed Jayden the disc that went with it. "The Black Box is ready. I'll keep Spider-Face distracted while you suit up."

"You got it," Jayden replied with a nod, as he tightened his grip around the disc, nodding at Antonio. "Let's see what this Black Box can _really _do."

"Barracuda Blade," Antonio called out, gripping his weapon, pulling it out of his sheath. He jumped towards Arachnitor, and before the Nighlok could attack him, started to quickly jump around the Nighlok landing punch after punch and kick after kick, before taking his blade to him. Moving faster than the eye could see, he landed blow after blow on the Nighlok and when Arachnitor doubled over in pain, grunting and groaning, only then did he back off. "Alright, Jay, let's show 'em what you got."

"Right," Jayden replied as he lifted the top of the Black Box. He inserted the disc and closed the object before holding it in his hand, pressing on a button at the top with his index finger. "Super Samurai Mode." Lights on the front of the box flashed in the Rangers' respective colors before stopping on Red.

Instantly, Jayden felt a burst of power course through his body, giving him more energy. He glanced down and saw that he was now wearing a long white jacket, cinched at his chest. He smirked behind his helmet as he attached the Black Box to his Power Sword, moving the Black Box disc to the hilt of his sword.

"You're done for, Nighlok," Antonio called out, clapping himself on the back, "for I have combined _all_ the power from our Power Discs into the Black Box and now we can morph into Super Samurai; unleashing powers only you can imagine."

"Super Samurai?" Mia asked, her voice filled with awe.

"Mentor explained it to me after I finished the box," Antonio replied, turning to help her and the other Rangers to their feet. "When he and Jayden said we'd get a burst of power; they weren't kidding."

Jayden then slowly walked towards the Nighlok and the Moogers, casually slashing at them as he walked by. His sole target was the Nighlok, and he didn't take his eyes off the spider as he went. But, they weren't backing down without a fight. Jayden put the new powers to the test with his newfound super speed, and heightened reflexes. He moved so fast he was actually leaving afterimages.

"So much power," Jayden gasped as he landed back on the ground after a high jump, "Man, this Black Box rules." He looked up as Moogers ran towards him. "Say goodbye, Moogers." Letting out a loud scream, Jayden spun in a circle, striking all the Moogers at once. They exploded around him, shaking the ground under his feet. _Now to take care of the Nighlok._

Jayden pushed hard off the site of his foot, rushing forward to attack the Nighlok. Arachnitor, filled with rage, attacked back, launching himself into the air, swinging down one of its overgrown pincers towards Jayden's head. Jayden deflected the attack with his sword, before jumping over the Nighlok, hoping to catch him off guard with his speed.

Arachnitor shot off his energy spinners attack again, but Jayden merely slashed through them, grinning at the shocked look on the Nighlok's face. "Nice try," he said as he took his Red Lion Disc and placed it in the Black Box. "Lion Disc." He gave the Black Box disc a hard push and flames immediately licked up the blade in his hands. "Super Blazing Strike."

Arachnitor flinched and twitched as he stumbled backwards. The Nighlok let out a scream of agony as Jayden's fire lingered on his body burning from the inside out, before he finally exploded. "Alright," Jayden said, turning to slap Antonio's gloved hand in a high five. "Well done, Antonio."

"Thanks Jayden," Antonio replied. "I didn't want to let you down."

"You wouldn't have," Jayden replied with a shake of his head. "I knew it all along."

"Dude!" Mike cried as he raced over. He let out a low whistle, walking a slow circle around his leader, looking him up and down "That Super Samurai mode is awesome!" He then punched Jayden on the shoulder. "Antonio; you've really outdone yourself this time."

"Hold on guys," Jayden said, turning away from them when he heard a loud rush of wind from behind him. "Here comes the Mega Monster." As soon as the words left his mouth, Spitfangs and Giant Moogers appeared as well. "And looks like he's got some company."

"Time to bring in the heavy artillery I'd say," Kevin commented, nudging Jayden in the side with his elbow.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Jayden replied with a nod. "Time to check out Super Mega Mode. Mega Mode Power." He dropped to the ground, placing is foldingzord on the ground, flipping open his Samuraizer. "Lion Foldingzord."

He jumped into the cockpit of his zord and noticed that his Mega Mode suit had changed as well; it now had white trimming to it as well. He also had a different belt around his waist. The other Rangers quickly followed his lead and summoned their own zords before they created the Samurai Megazord and Antonio finished up by calling on the Clawzord and transforming that into its Battle Mode.

"Super Samurai Combination," Jayden called out as he attached the Black Box to his folded Mega Blade, flipping it open to insert the Union Disc. Both the Clawzord and the Samurai Megazord combined to create the Claw Amor Megazord, equipped with dual blades.

"Fantastico," Antonio exclaimed as he entered the combined cockpit to the Megazord, in between Mike and Melody. "So _this _is what it looks like."

"Welcome to the club, Antonio," Melody replied, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"This is golden," Antonio replied, rubbing his hands together. "Now, let's get rid of this Nighlok once and for all."

"Let's go," Jayden agreed, piloting the Claw Armor Megazord forward. The Megazord sailed past the Moogers, cutting through them with its two blades, gaining speed as it neared the Nighlok. "Double Katana." The eyes of the Megazord flashed once and the two blades charged up in a bright blue light. "Strike!"

The Moogers were struck with first one blade, then the second, and then a combined strike from the two blades, exploding as the attack hit them. Arachnitor let out a loud grunt of annoyance and the Spitfangs shot balls of fire out of their mouths, straight towards the Megazord's legs, nearly knocking them over as sparks showered down to the ground below them.

"Man," Mike wheezed after he pushed himself back to his feet. When the Spitfangs' attacks hit tem, he was thrown forward into the pedestal in front of him, knocking the wind out of him. "I don't think we can take another hit like that."

"Looks like we'll need a hand," Antonio commented as he lifted his morpher, punching in the code with his thumb to call on the Octozord.

"Mike, Kev, let's combine our zords with Octozord," Jayden said as he swapped out the Tiger Disc with the Union Disc. "Tigerzod."

"Beetlezord."

"Swordfish Zord."

The four zords combined into new artillery for the Rangers in the shape of a canon; the lower half of the Octozord being used as a base and the head of it as well as the three other zords made up the blasters of the Samurai Battle Canon.

"Guys, be wary that this will take up a lot of symbol power," Jayden advised in a grave tone. "And we can only fire it once, so we've got to make this count."

"Only once?" Mike asked, his eyes widening behind his helmet. "Dude." He shook his head.

"No problem," Melody replied with a look of confidence. "One shot is all we need." Her hands started glowing purple. "Transferring Power." As Melody and Jaeger transferred some of their own power into the Samurai Battle Canon, the blasters on the canon started to glow.

The Spitfangs continued to attack the Rangers. While they were some of the stronger of the Nighlok monsters, they weren't always accurate with their attacks and it always took a little while for them to get more energy to fire off more attacks.

"Targeting," Jayden said under his breath as the ground shook beneath the Megazord's feet. "Locked on; fire!" Electricity moved through the Claw Armor Megazod and into the canon through the Megazord's hands as it locked onto the weapon; charging up the attack. The drills from the Tigerzord and Octorzord started spinning and the pincers from the Beetlezord, the saber from the Swordfish Zord started to pulsate. "Unleash the zords."

There was a loud explosion as the canon was fired. Images of the all the zords appeared in the air, zooming towards the Nighlok, glowing in their respective colors. Arachnitor couldn't move fast enough to get out of the zords' way and took the attack full force to the stomach, exploding in a large ball of fire.

"We got him!" Emily cheered punching the air with her fists.

"Thanks to the Black Box," Kevin added, clapping Jayden on the shoulder. "And it's truly amazing."

"I think you mean, super," Mike said with a small laugh.

Kevin rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Way to go, Jayden."

"The Sanzu Waters should lower if only a little bit," Mia commented, rubbing her chin. "The bigger pools won't disappear completely, but it's better than nothing."

"Samurai Rangers; victory is ours."

* * *

The Rangers demorphed and their zords returned to their normal state. Wiped out, Jayden took a seat on the ground, breathing heavily as Emily, Mike, and Mia went to cover the pool of Sanzu water to try and cover it up.

"You alright?" Antonio asked, crouching down next to Jayden.

"Yeah," Jayden replied, lifting his head from where he rested it on his knees. "That Black Box really takes a lot out of you." He then relaxed into a grin. "But, it really was a rush. You did an amazing job as usual Antonio." He held out his fist for Antonio to bump and the Gold Ranger did so, smiling as well. "I knew you could do it."

"Thanks for not giving up on me," Antonio replied, patting Jayden on the shoulder. "It's no wonder it took me so long to get it done. I was starting to think I'd never be able to." He frowned and brought his knees up to his chest. "I knew you all needed it finished as soon as possible. I was starting to feel like a burden."

"Unfortunately," Melody spoke up, pausing in scratching Jaeger between his ears as he curled, half asleep in her lap; drained from the fight, "that's what the Darkness does to you. It dwells on all your self-depreciating thoughts, making you feel worse about yourself. It's an easy way to warp your mind and to turn you into its puppet."

"I'm sorry you have to go through that," Jayden commented and Melody shrugged.

"Like I said, my powers are a blessing and a curse," Melody replied, brushing her hair out of her face. "I'm hoping when I'm truly done being a Ranger, it'll all go away." She gave a heavy sigh. "Until then, looks like I'm stuck with you guys."

"Antonio, you've really outdone yourself this time," Kevin said as he stared down at the Black Box in his hands. "It truly is amazing and Jayden you weren't wrong; it did give us more power."

"Unfortunately, it doesn't have enough power so that more than one person can use it at a time," Jayden replied, holding out his hand for the object. Kevin tossed it to him and Jayden caught it against his chest. "But, it'll get the job done." He glanced over at Mike, Mia, and Emily as they made their way over. "Here they come."

The four Rangers slowly got to their feet, groaning in pain as their sore muscles aced in protest. Jayden grabbed Melody's arm, getting her attention. She placed Jaeger on her shoulder, giving him a questioning look and Jayden immediately cut to the chase. "Back there when you were fighting Octaroo, he said something that really affected you," he commented.

"Really, what Nighlok doesn't?" Melody asked with a small eye roll. "It was nothing, don't worry about it." She shrugged, waving her hand in the air. "He just said that I'm never going to truly be a Samurai, blah, blah, blah." She then crossed her arms over her chest and added, "I think Antonio and I have proven time and time again that you don't have to grow up with the Samurai lifestyle to be a Samurai."

"That's true," Jayden replied, slowly nodding. He peered at her for a minute before he moved to join his friends adding over his shoulder, "You guys definitely make things interesting."

"Thanks?" Melody said as more of a question, not sure if she should take what he said as a compliment. _My life definitely has gotten more entertaining since I've been here. _She slid her hands into her pockets and followed after Jayden. _Maybe that's what that woman meant about following my heart. I was meant to be a Ranger again._

"I don't know about you guys, but I don't think I have an _ounce_ of symbol power left," Emily commented, looking exhausted.

"Good thing that's the last leak," Mike commented, pulling her into his side in a one-armed hug and Emily let out a happy sigh.

"Tell me about it," she replied, giving Mike a smile as she stepped away from the Green Ranger.

She cleared her throat when she caught Mia's knowing look, running her fingers through her hair. Mia pressed her lips together, trying not to smile, catching Melody's eye. Melody merely turned her head away, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger.

"Ah," Mike said as he stretched his arms over his head, "Another job well done."

"For now," Kevin commented, clasping his hands together behind his back. "We've still got a lot of work to do."

"Aw, man, why you gotta be such a downer?" Antonio asked, rolling his eyes. "We just won." Mike nodded in agreement.

"So what's the plan now?" Emily asked, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets.

"Training of course!" Kevin replied as if the idea would never come to their minds. "We have a city to protect."

"And with the Black Box, we have a little leg up in defeating the Nighlok," Melody said as she gently punched Antonio on the arm. "We're going to have to work hard; I don't think Master Xandred is just going to sit around now that he knows we have this."

"Yeah, but I don't like that the Nighlok know how to mutate," Emily said, a troubled look on her face.

"The threat is growing," Jayden spoke up, immediately getting everyone's attention. His serious look relaxed into an easy going smile. "But, so are we; thanks to our man Antonio here."

"I hear that," Mike said with a grin, bumping Antonio's fist with his own. "Way to finally get an edge on Master Xandred."

"We just have to keep getting better and stronger," Jayden continued, glancing down at the Black Box in his hand. "We have to be—" he looked up at his friends and smirked, his eyebrows twitching, "Super Samurai." He then put out his hand and the others immediately piled theirs on top of his. Melody finished the pile with her other hand, giving the peace sign.

"Rangers together," they shouted in unison, throwing their hands up to the sky. "Samurai forever!"

"We should get going," Emily said in between laughs. "Mentor might be getting worried about us. And I could use a nice long bath."

"I call second," Melody said, waving her hand in the air as they started making their way out of the construction site.

"Sooo….can I use the Black Box next?" Mike asked, reaching for it. Jayden merely pulled it out of his grasp. "Aw, come on dude! It's so awesome, I _have _to try it."

"Hey, Antonio was the one who put his blood, sweat, and tears into it," Mia pointed out, giving Mike a stern look. "He should be the one to use it next."

"Ah, but if it wasn't for this chica over here, I wouldn't have finished the box," Antonio said as he put his arm around Melody's shoulders.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, dude," Melody replied with a small laugh as she removed his arm from around her.

"I think one of us girls should have it next," Emily pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, you boys have _all _the zords, and we need to show some girl power." Mia laughed, slapping her palm in a high five.

"It's only fair that we all get a chance to use it," Jayden commented as he stared at it in his hand. "I'll decide when you get to use it. I don't want it to compromise the way you train."

"Because _that's_ the most important thing in the world," Mike said with a roll of his eyes.

"That's precisely my point," Jayden commented with a sigh. "I don't want you slacking off because it's not your turn to use it, and I don't want you slacking off_ because _it's your turn to use it. Work hard and we'll all get a chance."

* * *

**A/N: **Kind of a corny ending, but I still like it. _One of the Guys II_ will be updated again soon. And, I have a new poll in my profile pertaining to the story after _One of the Guys II_. Please vote on it? Thanks!

**~MysticMelody101~**


	5. Chapter 5: Tension

**.:Chapter Five – Tension:.**

* * *

"Dude, Em, check this out," Mike said with a grin the next morning as he grabbed Emily's arm, pulling her away from the easel she was working at. Emily quickly set down her wet paint brush.

"Mike, calm down," Emily laughed, prying her arm from her friend's grasp. "Can you make this quick? Mentor wants me to finish 100 characters by today; and I keep getting the order of the strokes wrong."

"You've been working on it all day, I think you deserve a break," Mike protested, with a grin as he made his way across the yard. Emily frowned when she noticed oranges, lemons, and grapefruit lying on the ground, cut in half, juice seeping into the ground.

"I know you hate eating things other than pizza, Mike, but Mentor will blow his top when he sees this," Emily commented with a shake of her head.

Mike merely shrugged. "Check this out, I've been so obsessed with that Fruit Ninja game on my iPhone, that I decided to try it out for real," he cried, throwing his arms out, nearly hitting Emily in the face. "Sorry. So what'd you think?"

"You're actually going along with this?" Emily asked, turning an amused look over to Kevin, who was standing off to the side, watching Mike, his mouth a straight line as he balanced his Spin Sword on his shoulder. "Well, at least he'll make a decent fruit salad."

"And he's working on sword technique," Kevin pointed out, with a shake of his head. "It seemed odd to me at first, but he actually made this make sense."

"Just make sure you clean up all the juice," Emily replied, shaking her head again. "It'll get hot soon and I don't want you guys to get stuck to the floor." She then pursed her lips. "Geeze, you guys will do anything just to get the chance to use that Black Box, won't you?"

"Come on, Em, you've gotta admit, it's pretty sick," Mike said before he turned, sliding the blade of his Spin Sword through a watermelon that sat on a pedestal. The three of them watched as it sat there for a moment, before there was an odd squelching sound as the top half of the watermelon slid off and fell with a _thud_ to the ground.

Kevin made a noise in the back of his throat. Mike rolled his eyes, wondering when Kevin would ever just compliment him on his technique. He watched as Kevin removed the arm that sat behind his back, revealing a small coconut. He threw it into the air, doing a swing with his upper body to give himself momentum to cut his Spin Sword through the coconut before it hit the ground.

"Show off," Mike muttered. He wouldn't admit it, but he was impressed by the Blue Ranger's skills.

He was always comparing himself to Jayden and Kevin, wanting to be just as good, or even better, than the two of them. He knew it would take a lot of hard work for him to get there, but he wanted to be known as more than just the gamer of the group or the jokester. He wanted to be known as a great Samurai as well.

"Hey guys," Mia called as she made her way out of the house, shouldering a burlap sack. "I'm going to the grocery store to get a few things. Do you want anything?"

"Some more fruit would be great," Kevin commented with a small laugh as he looked around at the slice and diced fruit on the ground. "Do you want some help?"

"No, that's ok," Mia replied, giving him a warm smile. "I want to keep my newest idea a secret. I'm trying out something in the cookbook I got for Christmas."

"Thank god," Mike muttered, earning a jab in the side from Emily.

"I'm sure it'll be great," Kevin replied, giving Mike a warning look over his shoulder. "We can't wait to try it."

"Thanks," Mia replied. "I know Antonio's gone fishing, but where's Jayden and Mel?"

"They're training at the park," Emily explained, brushing her hair out of her face. "They left early; around the same time Antonio left I think."

"Oh, ok," Mia replied with a nod. "Alright, well, I'll be back later, guys." She gave a wave and made her way out of the yard.

"She's going by the cookbook this time," Emily said to Mike and Kevin as soon as Mia was out of earshot, "this could end up being pretty good." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than the two boys. "Anyway, I better get back to work."

She made her way back to her abandoned stool and tried drawing the symbol again and again until she got it right. As the Earth Ranger, she knew it was important to get as much practice in as possible. No one could determine how much Sanzu Water would appear in their world in at one time, and on which day. She knew she had a lot of pressure to be the one to seal up the cracks to give them more time to fight the Nighlok and she only hoped to do a good job.

She tried hard not to show it, but she still felt like the least experienced one out of the group, even though she had been living in the Shiba House for about a year now. Everyone kept telling her that she had come a long way since the beginning, and she knew that she was doing a great job, but she often wondered how far along she'd be if she had as much training as Serena before she arrived at the house.

She jumped when the symbol on the paper in front of her glowed a bright yellow, seconds before a large boulder appeared in front of her. She let out a small shriek, diving out of the way of the boulder that started to roll away from the easel.

"_Look out_," she shouted, gaining Mike and Kevin's attention.

They reacted quickly, turning to face the oncoming boulder, taking quick back steps, trying to use their Spin Swords to stop it. But, it was rolling too fast, ad their swords weren't sharp enough to cut through the rock. Letting out screams, they quickly jumped out of its path, turning to watch as the boulder crashed into a concrete bench, effectively stopping it.

"I'm _so _sorry," Emily cried, rushing over to her friends. She offered her hand to Kevin, helping him to his feet.

"I think that signals the ending of training," Kevin commented, brushing the dirt off his clothes before he moved to retrieve his abandoned Spin Sword. "You should be more careful Emily. Thank god _that one _didn't roll over my foot."

Emily cringed, instantly knowing what he was referring to. On their first day of training, she had dropped a decent sized rock on his foot. His foot was bruised and swollen for about a week, but he continued on like a true Samurai, barely complaining about the pain and working hard.

"Sorry," Emily whispered before moving to help Mike. "I guess I still am a klutz."

"Don't worry about it, Em," Mike said with a smile, giving her a one armed hug, "accidents happen. And look on the bright side; you got the symbol down."

"I just need to do it 99 more times," Emily replied with a small laugh. "Let me build a barrier first, so I don't destroy the place."

"No worries, Em, you'll rock it," Mike said. There was a pause before the two of them started laughing. "Pun intended." He lifted his Spin Sword and lightly ran his hands over the flat side of the blade. "_Man_, how cool would these be if you could cut through stone like Deker's sword?"

"Just be glad we haven't met anything that would require that type of power," Kevin commented, rotating his shoulder. "Who knows how we'd fair, matched up against it."

"With the Black Box, we'd have no problem," Emily pointed out. The three of them suddenly fell silent as they thought about it. Kevin brought his free hand up to his chin, rubbing it in thought. "What's up, Kev?"

"I'm just thinking," Kevin replied, removing his gaze from the ground. "There's so much power in that Black Box; imagine all the things we could with it." He then shook his head. "I just wonder how Jayden would've fared in the fight against Deker if he had it."

"Jayden won the fight, dude," Mike reminded him. "He didn't need an extra burst of power to prove he has what it takes to be a great Ranger. He's the man. Plus, Deker's gone."

"Maybe so," Kevin agreed with a short nod. "I guess I just don't understand why we waited until it came down to the wire to retrieve it from the Tengen Gate? And Mentor even told us when he first told us about the Box that he didn't know what it did. Why would he lie about it? And Jayden too? They both obviously knew what it held."

"I think…that had to do with me," Emily spoke up, quietly. "I mean, Mentor didn't bring it up until after I had my soul taken by that Nighlok." She frowned, her shoulders slumping. "Maybe then he really realized what a threat the Nighlok are and—"

"Don't blame yourself, Em, that's not fair," Mike quickly cut in. He had a look of annoyance and anger on his face. "It could've happened to anybody."

"But, if I just—"

"Mike's right," Kevin gently replied, eyeing Mike warily. "We shouldn't be dwelling on the past." Kevin knew Mike was coming from a good place, but the Green Ranger often made things worse before they got any better. "You're ok now, Em, and that's all that matters." He raised his Spin Sword, tilting the blade until it caught the sun, bouncing a glare into his face. "Xandred has to have heard about the Black Box by now from Octaroo."

"Possibly," Mike agreed with a nod. "This means he'll just try harder to wipe us out."

"The Nighlok are going to keep getting stronger," Kevin said as if Mike didn't say a word. "For all we know, they could've all mutated. We can only hope the Black Box gives us the power we need. But, in the mean time, we can't stray from our mission; we have to remember what's important here, keeping Jayden safe so he can use the sealing symbol on Master Xandred."

"Yeah, yeah," Mike replied with a roll of his eyes. _Leave it to Kev to take the fun out of things_. "I'm going to get some peas for my wrist."

"Sorry," Emily said with a sigh.

"No worries, Em." Mike patted her on the shoulder, giving her a smile before making his way into the Shiba House. He let out a sigh, dropping his sword onto the table as he made his way to the freezer.

"Get me some too, Mike," Kevin said as he followed behind him.

"Sure," Mike replied as he reached the refrigerator.

He pulled open the freezer door, standing in the cool air for a moment before grabbing two bags of peas. He used his shoulder to close the freezer door and tossed one bag to Kevin, before pressing the other bag to his wrist. He let out a small groan as he slowly dropped onto a stool.

"I don't understand why Emily is always so down on herself," Kevin spoke up after a moment of silence. "She's improved more than she realizes."

Mike hesitated for a moment before replying to Kevin. "She always worries that she won't be as good as the rest of us," he explained. "I mean, Serena was pretty far in her training before she got sick and Emily had to quickly jump into it before she was thrown into the Shiba House."

"Maybe if we rearranged training partners," Kevin muttered.

Mike narrowed his eyes at the Blue Ranger. "So, what, I'm a bad training partner?" he asked, an edge to his tone. "You think I'm holding her back?"

"I didn't say that, Mike," Kevin replied in the same tone, shooting the Green Ranger an annoyed look. "I'm just thinking out loud. We _all_ could use a change in our usual routines; we don't all fight the same way. It'll help us get stronger."

"Newsflash, Kev; no one said you're guaranteed next to use the Black Box," Mike replied with a shake of his head. "Hell, Jayden's still around so you can stop playing leader now."

"I'm not—" Kevin stopped, briefly closing his eyes, letting out a breath of air to relax. He glanced out the window and watched Emily for a moment before turning back to the Green Ranger. "You like her, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Her; Emily," Kevin replied nodding towards the window. "Do you like her? Like, _like _like her? Because you know the rules about—"

"What are you, five?" Mike asked with a short laugh. "Emily's like my sister, dude. She's fun." He shifted the bag of peas around his arm, before shaking the melted ice off his free hand. "That's all."

"Are you sure?" Kevin asked, his eyebrows knitting together. Mike rolled his eyes. "I'm just making sure; it could distract you from Ranger duties. And, I'm worried about her. According to her, she barely has any friends at home and she got picked on a lot. She must feel like she fits in here, and she's close with you. I don't want her to get her hopes up that something could happen and then have to go home."

"You have nothing to worry about, Kev," Mike replied, rubbing his temple. "Emily and I are just friends; that's all." He pressed his lips together for a moment before adding, "Not that it's any of your business."

"Whatever you say, Mike," Kevin said with a shake of his head, getting up from his seat, making his way out of the kitchen. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Jayden folded his arms on the red and white checkered table cloth, looking down the street. He shifted his weight in his chair and instantly regretted it as his sore muscles moved. He clenched his teeth for a moment before relaxing back into his chair.

"You that tired?" Melody, who was sitting across from him, finishing her last bit of French fries, asked, peering at him. Jayden silently nodded and she looked around before speaking again, her voice low. "You haven't fully recovered from the Black Box yet, have you?"

"I'll be fine," Jayden replied, waving his hand in the air. "Don't worry about me."

Melody's eyebrow twitched. "S'kinda hard not to."

Jayden was saved from replying when a young woman walked over to them, adjusting the apron that hung around her waist before patting at her hair. "Can I get you anything else?" the waitress asked the two of them, holding onto a small black bill holder. Jayden glanced over at Melody who shook her head, looking amused.

"No, we're ok, thanks," Jayden replied, giving her a small smile.

"Ok, here's your bill," the waitress replied, smiling in return, setting the bill holder down onto the table. "Thank you for eating at our cafe today and have a good day." She moved her arms behind her back and made her way back into the building.

"What?" Jayden asked, as Melody started to laugh.

Melody titled her heard towards the building. "The whole time we've been here, she's totally been checking you out," she replied, resting her elbows on the table.

"No, she wasn't," Jayden replied, shaking his head.

"I'm a girl, I know all the signs," Melody replied, giving Jayden a "Yeah right" look. "Check that bill holder and tell me her number _isn't_ written somewhere in there." She didn't even give Jayden a chance to check before she snatched it out of his hands and opened it. She let out a loud "Ah ha" and waved a piece of paper in the air. "I knew it."

"Not like I'd do anything with it," Jayden commented and Melody snorted with laughter. "I've known her since I was a kid. Her name is Lindsay. My dad always took me here and then Mentor did." His nose wrinkled. "She's not my type anyway. Her parents own the place. Her whole family works here."

"Ok, what about that curly haired girl over there?" Melody asked, pointing over Jayden's shoulder. He turned in his seat and shook his head. "What's wrong with her? She's cute."

"Ruthie?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "And loud and bossy. She's been known to change people's orders to what she thinks is more healthy."

"She'd keep you in line," Melody commented in a sing-song voice before finishing her soda and chewing on the straw.

"I can do that on my own," Jayden replied.

"That so?" Melody asked with a smirk. She quickly gave Ruthie a once over, pursing her lips before shaking her head. "I don't think she could keep up with you."

"Are you applying for the job?" Jayden asked as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket, paying for their meals.

"Maybe," Melody replied with a grin as she got to her feet and gave a mock bow. She reached into the chair next to her and grabbed her soccer ball, proceeding to spin it on her fingers. "Thank you for lunch. It was an interesting experience."

"You're a cheap date," Jayden commented, getting up. His eyes widened slightly. "Not that this was a date. I mean—you know what I mean." He pressed his lips together, shutting himself up.

"You need to get out more," Melody commented, acting like she didn't hear what he had said. Jayden raised an eyebrow. "Is it really that hard for you to believe that someone could actually find you attractive?" Jayden then raised both eyebrows and Melody realized that what she said was actually kind of mean. "Not that you _aren't_ attractive, and not that I, personally, think you are. And not that I think you're not. I mean—oh, never mind." She dropped the ball to the ground, allowing it to bounce once before she kicked it back into her hands. "We should get going. Mike will probably start eating the couch cushions if we don't get back with groceries soon."

"Ah, I don't want to shop," Jayden groaned.

"Men," Melody shook her head as she moved past him, making her way down the street. "We're already here, might as well. And honestly, it would save us from having to eat anything Mia could possible create out of anything left in the fridge."

A pained look crossed Jayden's face. "Fine," he muttered. "But, there's a reason I don't do this often."

Thirty minutes later, Melody understood Jayden's dread. She watched him compare the prices on three different packages of popcorn. She felt like smashing her head into the next stone pillar she saw. "At this rate Emily will graduate from high school before we get back. Could you just pick one and get on with it?"

"Aren't you the one who insisted I shop?" Jayden asked, looking up at her, his eyes set in a glare. He then pointed one of the boxes at her. "And _you're_ the one who's obsessed with popcorn."

"Yeah, but I said any Movie Theater Butter is fine, I don't care about the brand," Melody shot back. "And besides, that was before I knew you were Mr. Picky."

"There's no problem being careful with your hard earned money," Jayden commented, placing a box into the cart she was leaning on. She scoffed.

"You mean _my _hard earned money because I'm paying for all this crap," Melody replied, throwing her hands up in the air. "Plus, there's careful and then there's—" she stopped when she saw the look on his face. "Alright, alright."

"Hey guys. I'm glad I caught up with you." Mia smiled as she walked up to her two friends, a plastic bag slung over her shoulder. "I just had this amazing idea for dinner. Mentor said I could try it out so I'm here to get a few ingredients so I hurried here to find you."

"Ingredients for what?" Jayden slowly asked, trying to get a peek at the bag, but she pushed it out of the way.

"You'll see," Mia chirped, happily. "So, you guys mind if I tag along? We'd have to go to the Farmer's Market as well."

"No worries," Melody commented with a wave of her hand. "I mean, we're already out. Feel free to add your stuff to the cart. I'm paying."

"Nonsense, I'll just pay for myself," Mia replied, her smile widening. "I don't want to ruin the surprise for you guys."

"Oh…darn!" Melody replied, snapping her fingers, trying to look upset. "You saw right through my plan." Jayden shot out his hand, giving the cart a hard push, jamming the handle into her stomach. "_Ow_!"

"We'll meet you at check out," Jayden said, giving Mia a smile before tugging on the cart, pulling it down the aisle. Melody rubbed the base of her ribs, glaring at the back of his head. "Here, you take the cart, I forgot to get something."

"Sure, no problem," Melody replied, taking the cart handles. She made her way through the grocery store, grabbing some fruit and frozen foods for snacks, before turning the corner, pushing the cart right into someone's back. "Oh, I'm sorr—" She stopped in the middle of her apology when Jake McAllister turned around to face her.

Jake held up his hands., giving a small smile "No damage."

"Are you following me, now?" Melody asked, narrowing her eyes. She backed up her cart to move around him. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Jake grabbed the cart, stopping her from moving. "I just want to talk to you, it's important," he replied in a quiet voice, giving her a pleading look. "Please. I need you to forgive me."

Melody roughly pulled the shopping cart out of his hands, successfully moving past him this time. "Jake," she said in a tight voice, "there's nothing for..."

"Yes there is," Jake said, cutting her off. "There's a whole list of things that—"

"And there's a whole list of list of choice names I'd like to call you," Melody replied as he fell into step with her, "but I'm not even going to waste my breath because I don't care about what you have to say."

"Talk to me, dammit!" Jake snapped, grabbing onto Melody's arm. "I really need someone to talk to you about this. You're the only one who'll listen. I _need_ to get this off my chest."

"You're hurting my arm," Melody replied, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"Hey, Mel! I forgot what kind of candy Mike likes." Jayden appeared down the aisle, carrying a package of candy in each hand. "Does he like the normal gummy worms or sour gummy worms?" The Red Ranger stopped when he spotted Jake.

"Jake, right?" he asked, walking over to them as Melody freed her arm, frowning.

"Right," Jake replied with a short nod, taking a few steps back. "And you're…Kevin?"

"Jayden."

Jake just nodded, continuing to back away from them. "It was nice seeing you again, Jayden. Mel." And then he was gone.

"What'd he want?" Jayden asked, dropping the bags of candy into the cart.

"Who knows?" Melody replied with a shake of her head. "And Mike likes sour worms, but I'll take the normal ones." Jayden peered at her and dropped the subject. "Since when do you let us buy candy anyway?"

"Considering Mia is making dinner tonight, I thought I'd just be prepared," Jayden commented with a short laugh.

"Good call," Melody agreed.

They met Mia at the check-out line, paid for their groceries and put them in the Shiba family car before driving to Panorama Farmer's Market; a long industrial-looking row of stalls selling all varieties of fresh food. The market sat outdoors but was roofed, so it still feels closed-in. The place was busy with men and women selling fruits, vegetables, spices, and freshly butchered meats. There was even a woman selling homemade pies and cheesecakes.

As Mia made her way around, Melody went to get some of the free samples that were offered as Jayden moved to a gumball dispenser. He fished into his pocket for his wallet, retrieving a quarter. He inserted the quarter into the slot and twisted the knob. There was a cacophony of clicks and snaps as the gears sprung to life, moving a mechanism inside just enough to let a gumball through. He turned the knob all the way, so that the slot was facing up again, and lifted the flap underneath to claim his gum.

There was nothing there. He tried turning the knob again. It spun, but the lack of clicking told him it was no longer functional. Frustrated, he pounded the plastic sphere with his fist, jostling the machine. Something clattered into the chute and struck the flap.

"Finally," he muttered, opening the flap.

As soon as he did so, gumball after gumball started pouring out of the flap. Jayden quickly grabbed the bottom of his shirt, using it to catch the gumballs with, panicking. They quickly filled his shirt, overflowing and started dropping to the ground, making a loud clacking sound. Jayden grabbed one, stuffing it into his mouth, before giving up and dropping his shirt, abandoning the rest of the. He looked around wildly to see if anyone noticed him, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn't. He quickly walked away from the area, nearly bumping into Mia.

"Hey, can I take that for you?" Jayden asked around his chewing.

"I don't know," Mia replied, giving him a smile. "I have my secret ingredients in here and I don't want you spilling the beans."

_Or gumballs_ Jayden thought, glancing over his shoulder again. "Promise, I won't tell." Mia nodded, handing the bag over to him as she went to get Melody to leave. He peered into the bag and made a face. "Oysters, Chocolate sauce, and Brussels sprouts?" His stomach lurched just thinking about what it is she was going to make for them that night. "Um, are you sure you've got everything you need for this recipe?"

"Sure am," Mia replied.

"Sounds, um, interesting," Jayden said, forcing a smile to his face. Seeing the confused look on Melody's face, he handed the bag over to her.

"Uh, beef and chocolate is good together, so maybe this will be good too?" Melody said as more of a question, peering into the bag. "I'm sure it'll be great, Mia."

"Thanks," Mia replied as she looped her arm through Melody's. "The secret is to mix the ingredients in just the right way."

_Nothing the garbage disposal can't do_, Melody thought, nodding rapidly.

"You're going to have to explain that to the paramedics," Jayden muttered, turning his head away so Mia wouldn't hear him.

"What?" Mia asked, giving him a confused look as she stopped walking.

"Uh, nothing," Jayden replied with a smile. "Sounds great, Mia, can't wait to try it." His smile faded when his Samuraizer went off. He exchanged looks of alarm with Mia and Melody before he ushered them into a quiet area. He pulled his Samuraizer out of his pocket and held it up to his ear. "Yeah?"

"_Jayden, there's a Nighlok attack at the stadium. Mike, Emily, and Kevin are on their way. I'll contact Antonio next_."

"Got it," Jayden replied before flipping his Samuraizer shut with his hip. "Nighlok trouble; let's go."


	6. Chapter 6: Cracking Shells

**.:Chapter Six – Cracking Shells:.**

* * *

Jayden, Mia, and Melody hurried to the stadium as fast as they could. Once they were sure no one was around, they morphed, drawing their swords (and calling for Jaeger to help) on their way. The Nighlok attack was happening in front of the stadium. They arrived in time to see the Nighlok, laughing maniacally as he shot lasers at the feet of the citizens that ran away in terror.

"It's a giant ball with legs?" Mia asked, skidding to a stop.

"Armadeevil," Jayden replied with a short shake of his head as he stopped beside her. "I remember reading about him in the archives." His free hand curled into a fist at his side. "Hey! Nighlok! That's enough!"

The Nighlok turned around to face the Rangers, showing his rat-face to them, sunlight bouncing off of his shell. "How dare you talk to me like that," Armadeevil said, its eyes turning into slits. "How dare you talk to me at all."

"He looks like Soccadillo," Melody commented out of the side of her mouth, tilting her head to the side.

Jaeger nodded, his tail twitching back and forth, a low growl rumbling in his throat. "Yeah, and Artismole as well." He grinned, revealing two rows of sharp teeth. "Lucky us, we know how to handle them. This should be a piece of cake."

"Maybe I'll have some fun with these lousy Lame-Os," Armadeevil muttered, tapping his long fingers against each other, "before I shut them up and beat them down."

"You're the one who'll be going down, Nighlok," Mia replied, pointing the tip of her sword at him.

"No talking is fine by me as well," Jayden added, his eyes narrowing behind his helmet.

"Ha! You Rangers are nothing but a joke," Armadeevil snapped, spittle flying out of his mouth. "Xandred may have set you back with a few of his Nighloks, but I'm not under his command."

"What do you mean?" Melody asked, lowering her sword slightly. "Xandred is still around."

"If only you Rangers knew," Armadeevil said in a teasing tone.

"Enough of this," Mia snapped before she lead the charge towards the Nighlok.

The group of four took on the Nighlok as best they could, but their swords couldn't leave a mark on the snail-like shell Armadeevil wore. With every attack they tried to land on the Nighlok, its strong shell merely withstood them, throwing their arms back, sending waves of pain down their arms. Armadeevil laughed gleefully as the Ranger's attacks merely bounced off his shell.

Kevin, Emily, and Mike joined them in battle soon after, but Armadeevil wouldn't stand still enough for them to land an attack on him. He curled up into a ball every now and then, only popping out to punch the Rangers in the chests when he saw an opening in their attack strategy. Not even Emily's Earth Slicer, Mike's Forest Spear, or Kevin's Hydro Bow could break past the hard exterior.

"Not one of our attacks works," Emily cried with a shake of her head. "Maybe Xandred's monsters really are mutating whenever they want."

"He says he's not under Xandred's command," Jayden muttered, much to Kevin, Mike, and Emily's shock and confusion. "But, he's a Nighlok. Who knows if he's lying or telling the truth?"

"He's not lying," Jaeger muttered, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. "I can tell. I don't know who he's referring to, but he's not a Nighlok from Xandred."

"So, there are other Nighlok in the Netherworld?" Mike asked, running his gloved hand over his helmet before he let out a breath of air.

"Has to be," Jaeger replied, keeping his eyes trained on the Nighlok. "The only question is; who sent this Nighlok?"

Suddenly, the Nighlok jumped forward, turning into its ball form, crashing into the Rangers, knocking them over like bowling pins. Laughing, Armadeevil turned around to face two people that suddenly ran into the scene and let out a loud scream.

Melody's eyes popped open as the scream reached her ears. Wheezing, she craned her neck and let out a soft groan when she saw Bulk and Spike near the entrance of the stadium, screaming in fear. "What the hell are they doing here?" she whispered, pressing her palms against the concrete, pushing herself up to her knees. _Ugh, I'm going to kill them._

"What was that about?" Mike asked, sitting up, putting a hand to his chest. "Em, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Emily replied with a nod.

"You two go and help them get to safety," Jayden announced, getting to his feet, resting his Spin Sword on his shoulder. "And hurry back; we're going to need all the power we can get to defeat this monster."

"Speaking of power; where's Antonio?" Mia asked as Kevin helped her to her feet.

Mike looked back over his shoulder to see how his friends were doing and stopped, nearly causing Emily to crash into him. "Guys, look out!" he shouted. But, before the Rangers could move, Armadeevil tucked itself into a ball again and shot back and forth across the ground.

"They're going to get crushed!" Emily shouted, moving to hurry back to her friends. She took off across the concrete, Mike hot on her heels. However, he knew that they weren't going to make it to their friends in time.

"Darkness Shield," Jaeger and Melody shouted in unison, rushing to stand in front of Kevin, Mia, and Jayden, forming a dark purple barrier around them. Armadeevil bounced off the surface. The Nighlok growled with anger, slamming harder and harder into the barrier, trying to break through it.

"Leave them alone, Rat Face," Mike shouted, pushing hard off the ground, swinging his sword downwards in a hard strike. Metal hit metal with a jarring thud, and Mike felt himself thrown backwards, landing hard on his side.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold this," Jaeger said through clenched teeth, his arms starting to shake. He saw a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye and saw Emily trying to use her Earth Slicer to stop the Nighlok, but to no avail. He turned towards Melody and saw that she was struggling as well. "Mel!"

Melody tuned to face him, looking tired; her arms shaking. But, she was void of any emotion. She stared at him for a moment before pressing her lips together, glancing in the direction that Bulk and Spike had disappeared from before turning back to face him. That time he recognized the emotion on her face.

"Sorry," she mouthed, giving him an apologetic look, lowering one hand to her Spin Sword. She then tore her gaze from him and dropped her other arm, effectively dropping the barrier before she started sprinting across the asphalt, rushing after her frightened friends.

"Melody!" Jayden yelled after her, seconds before he was slammed in the back by Armadeevil, who cackled as bounced off each Ranger, inflicting more and more damage without ever touching the ground. _What the hell_?

Armadeevil bounced away from the Rangers, unfurling itself from the ball, practically skipping with happiness. "Don't you get it, Rangers? I'm invincible!" There was suddenly a loud sound like wood being splintered. Armadeevil groaned, crossing his arms over his stomach. "I take that back. You Rangers are lucky; I'm drying out."

He disappeared into a Gap and the Rangers struggled to their feet. Kevin reached out and grabbed Mia's hands, helping her up to her feet. She swayed on the spot for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm ok," she replied to Kevin's unanswered question as she de-morphed. "How about you?"

"Annoyed," Kevin replied stiffly, setting his jaw. "Why'd she run off like that?"

"You're missing the big picture here, Kev," Mike found the strength to yell in frustration, "How are we going to stop that guy? We can't even slow him down!"

"That Nighlok is no joke," Emily said, a hand to her head. "I wonder who sent him if it wasn't Xandred?"

"Someone who really has it out for us," Mia replied, checking to see if she had any serious injuries.

"Can't worry about that now," Jayden said, rotating his shoulder, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "We have to go find Antonio." He then fixed his eyes on Jaeger, who avoided the Red Ranger's gaze by making a show of putting his sword back into its sheath. "And most importantly find out where Mel went. Let's regroup back at the house."

* * *

Melody de-morphed as she ran, her head on a constant swivel to see if she could spot her friends. She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted them at the park, talking excitedly to each other. She jogged over to them, instantly spotting Antonio's morpher in Bulk's hand.

"Auntie Mel," Spike jumped off the picnic table he was sitting at, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug, and lifting her off the ground. "You'll never believe what happened to us! "

"Ow! Ow!" Melody winced as her bruised ribs burned. "Down, Spike, down."

"We were _this close_ to the Samurai Rangers!" Bulk cried, holding up his index finger and thumb a little bit away from each other as Spike let her go. Melody winced, using her shoulder to wipe at her watery eyes. "They were fighting at the stadium."

Melody made a face, stopping herself from saying something that would blow her secret. "Why were you even at the stadium anyway?" she slowly asked. "I've been chasing after you for the past three blocks, trying to find out why you were screaming like a bunch of banshees."

"Oh, well, we got scared, I guess," Spike admitted with a sheepish grin. "The Nighlok was pretty sc—"

"What Spike means," Bulks said, slapping his hand over Spike's mouth, "is that we saw the monster beating the Rangers into submission, so we took it upon ourselves to lure the monster away."

"Uh, right," Spike replied with a nod, when Bulk pulled his hand away.

Melody's eye twitched and she fought the urge to slap herself in the forehead. "That still doesn't answer my question of why you were at the stadium to begin with."

"Oh, we were going to return this phone," Spike replied, pulling the silver "phone" out of Bulk's hands to show it to her. "We found it on the boardwalk today."

"Yeah, and some guy called the phone and told us to meet the owner at the stadium," Bulk replied with a shrug. A thoughtful look then crossed his face. "But, while we were there, I realized something interesting about the Samurai Rangers." Before Melody could ask, a wild look crossed Bulk's face. "The Purple Ranger here, is the same Purple Ranger back in Angel Grove; only her outfit has changed slightly to fit with this new motif. _So_, she's been around for a while."

"Hmm, I'm starting to remember a time where you thought _I _was the Purple Ranger," Melody replied, crossing her arms over her chest before she rubbed at a spot on her head. "Geeze, I swear, you were about to rip a huge chunk out of my hair back then."

"You can't really blame me for that, I mean you _did_ have purple highlights," Bulk replied, waving his hand in the air. "I'm just saying, I think it's…strange how one Ranger from Angel Grove is now here. I mean, I can only imagine how long TJ and them could keep that secret."

"TJ and them weren't in Angel Grove when the Mighty Morphin Rangers were around," Melody replied, moving to sit down next to Bulk on the table, "but whatever. You guys, this is getting really serious, and I don't want you to put yourself in danger."

"So, we can't go and film the Samurai Rangers in battle and-?" Spike immediately stopped talking when he spotted Bulk's glare.

"You did _what_?" Melody asked, her eyes widening. "Have you _lost_ your mind?!" She suddenly sobered, a look of realization crossing her face. "That explains why I thought I saw you at the construction site during the last fight." She then was back in her previous mode of worry and anger. "_Are you crazy?_!"

"We just want to be Samurai, Auntie," Spike replied with a half smile. "We want to be heroes and to help people. We thought if we could video tape their fighting moves, we could learn more while you were gone."

"Not that it helped much, seeing as the camera is destroyed and we forgot to put the memory card in it," Bulk added, crossing his arms over his chest. "By the way, we kind of broke your video camera."

A look of annoyance and anger crossed Melody's face before her expression softened at the look on Spike's face. He was just like his father. Before Bulk and Spike took it upon themselves to try and find the identity of the Power Rangers, wanted to be heroes themselves. Despite going at it the wrong way, Melody couldn't help but be proud of them.

"Hold on a second," Bulk said, waving his hand in the air. He leaned forward, giving her a suspicious look. "You saw us at the construction site? Why were _you_ there?"

"Uhhh." Melody's jaw dropped when the questions was suddenly put on her. She could easily tell them the truth and say that she was at the construction site, but if they asked her why, she didn't think she would be able to come up with a good answer. "There was a news segment on TV…I, uh, saw you guys in the, um, background."

"You mean…_we're famous_?" Bulk asked, his voice getting higher in pitch at the end. "All our hard work is paying off. If the Samurai Ranger see us on TV—"

"They'll _have_ to let us help them," Spike added. "Auntie Mel, could you teach us some more fighting moves?"

"First off, _please_ stop calling me that," Melody replied, running her fingers through her hair. Spike merely shrugged. "And second; I know I'm not around as often as you want me to, and I know I promised Skull I'd keep an eye on you, as well as I promised myself I'd make sure the both of you don't get into any trouble, and for that I apologize."

"You've been apologizing for it a lot lately," Spike pointed out, picking at his finger nails.

"I know," Melody replied, letting out a heavy sigh.

She could only imagine how her family was doing without seeing her. She knew that they had a better understanding of what she had to go through as they _knew_ that she was a Power Ranger, but it was harder keeping the secret from her friends.

She briefly closed her eyes, groaning inwardly. She knew that the minute she got back to the Shiba House she was going to get it. Never in her life had she actually left during a battle to go check on her friends. She could only imagine how mad everyone was and hoped that they could do as much as they could in the fight without her. She didn't know how she was going to face them.

_Follow your heart and all will be revealed in time. You don't have to face it alone._

But, Melody knew that she was, actually, alone. She was the only one who understood what it was like to be in the position that she was in. Mike would probably understand if she explained it to him, but she wondered if he was mad at her as well. With each fight that went on, the tougher it got, and the bigger the threat was to the city, the more she felt like her heart was splitting in two; fight with the Rangers or stay with her friends and family. She didn't know how to follow the advice of the mystery woman, but those words kept coming back to her.

"I don't mean to make you feel bad," Spike commented, gaining Melody's attention again.

"I know you don't, Spikey" Melody replied, giving him a small smile. She laughed when he made a face at the nickname. "So you guys are really serious about being Samurai, huh?" She blinked when Spike practically screed "Yes" in her face. "You know, I'm proud of you guys for sticking with this. I'm not happy you're putting yourselves in danger, but learning how to be a Samurai helps you with other parts of your life."

_Bzzz. Bzzzz._

Sighing, Melody pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, and glanced at the screen. She had received a text from Mike and let out a small sigh of relief. God knows what a message from Kevin or Jayden would say. Mia, Emily, or Mike was the best way to go, but she dreaded actually returning to the house for what they all would say to her. She knew that the Armadeevil wouldn't stop until they were all flattened. They had to have been seriously injured.

She glanced at the time and sighed. She knew she had to get back to the Shiba House eventually, and she knew that the longer she put it off, the worse the situation would get. "I've got to get going," she announced, reaching out an arm to give Spike a one armed hug. "I know whose that is." She nodded towards the "phone" in Bulk's hands. "I'll take it back to him for you. The owner has probably missed a few important calls."

"If he was that worried about it, he wouldn't have left it lying on the Boardwalk," Spike replied, flipping the phone open to glance at the display screen. "I wonder if it has any cool games on it."

"Spike, you shouldn't go through people's phones and drain their battery by playing games," Bulk commented, grabbing the phone back from Spike. "We should be taking the time trying to find the owner of it."

"If you would give me the stupid thing, I'd be able to give it back to him in an instant," Melody replied, thrusting her hand into Bulk's face, wiggling her fingers.

"What's gotten you in such a foul mood lately?" Bulk asked, eyeing her warily. Melody let out a breath of air, blowing her hair out of her face. "Oh."His expression softened."How's your dad doing?"

"Fine," Melody replied, in a tight voice. "He's fine. Are you going to give me that or not?"

"No," Bulk replied simply, getting to his feet. "I want you to go home and rest and relax; you seem really stressed out. Don't worry, Spike and I will find the owner of this phone."

"But—"

"Go see how your dad is doing, you won't regret it," Bulk replied, starting to gently push her away. "Don't worry about a thing, we have it handled."

"Yeah, Auntie Mel, don't worry about a thing," Spike replied, giving her a salute, nearly knocking the hat off his head. "See you later."

She knew that she wouldn't' be able to change their minds no matter how hard she tried. They could be just as stubborn as she was from time to time, and while that did help in some situations, in ones like this, she absolutely hated it. She finally decided to leave, making her way towards the Shiba House, albeit the long way back.

"Follow my heart, yeah right." Melody snorted, kicking at a rock. "It's only getting me into more trouble."

She ran her hands over her face and let out a heavy sigh. When she put her hands down, she saw the woman from her dream standing in front of her. But, her veil was now gone and she could see her face. The woman gave Melody a peaceful smile, her gray eyes holding warmth in them. Melody stared at her, blinking a few times.

"Yes, you can actually see me, Melodia" the woman said in a light tone. "Don't worry, nothing has happened. I'm in _your_ time right now."

"Who are you?" Melody asked, her mind reeling. Everything was happening all at one time. She felt guilty for leaving the fight, relieved that her friends were ok, all around anxious as to what was going to happen when she got back home, and now confused as to who the woman was. "And what do you want with me?"

"I want to see that you actually fulfill your destiny," the woman replied, making her way down the path before finding a spot to sit down on the ground. She smoothed out her dress around her legs, patting at the ground, wanting Melody to join her. "As for who I am…well, for now you may refer to me as Aura."

"What do you have to do with Decker and the Nighlok King?" Melody asked, tucking her legs underneath her."Why are you only appearing jut now?"

"The threat of the Nighlok grow stronger, young one," Aura replied, plucking a flower from the grown. "Be patient as those who are in a hurry tend to overlook things that'll help them in the long run." She spun the flower in between her forefinger and thumb before leaning over to put the flower into Melody's hair. "It is important that you don't rush through anything from here on out; that also goes for things that aren't Ranger related."

"In the dream, the Nighlok King talked about an army of Darkness," Melody spoke up, wrapping her arms around her legs, pulling her legs to her chest. "This is why I was chosen as a Ranger before, back in high school, isn't it? To get the experience I needed for when something as big as this came up."

"Indeed," Aura replied with a single nod. "You have not disappointed us with our expectations of how you were to handle everything thrown your way." She folded her hands in her lap, picking at a spot on her dress. "However, times are indeed going to get harder for you Rangers and it's even more important that you stick together no matter what happens and what you do."

Melody frowned. She instantly got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach the instant the words reached her ears. Her mind started racing, wondering what it is that she could possibly do to make things so much worse than how it was now. She had left her team high and dry, and she was beating herself up for it. She couldn't imagine what else she could do.

"You think they'll forgive me for what I did?" she asked quietly, bowing her head.

"Melodia, you are dealing with problems far larger than something as simple as good versus evil," Aura pointed out, her gaze softening. "It is something they couldn't imagine in their wildest dreams. They know how important it is to work as a team. Everything will work out. It won't be easy, but everything will work out. It is important that you hold your friendships dear. Just—"

"I know, I know, follow my heart," Melody replied with a sigh, trying to fight the urge to roll her eyes. "It's hard to do that when my heart is leading me in two different directions."

"As do all hearts, in everybody, at one point or another," Aura replied, a knowing smile on her face. She was silent for a moment, peering at the Purple Ranger. "I understand it is hard for you, but you'll understand once everything is all said and done, I promise you. Sad to say I can't reveal much of anything as it's up to you to figure out how to deal with the obstacles that are coming."

"And if I make the wrong choice?" Melody asked, looking into Aura's grey eyes. "Much like I always have."

"You'll figure it out," Aura replied with a patient smile. "Now, I must go. But, it was nice to finally talk to you face to face." Aura started to glow a bright white. "I'll see you again soon." In a flash of bright white light, she was gone.

Mind reeling, Melody made her way out of the park. She didn't know where exactly she was going, but she just followed her feet through the city. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket again and saw that she had received another text message from Mike. She sighed, deciding to ignore the message and changed her direction, making her way into the heart of the city.

"Hey," she greeted Skylar as she walked over to him. He was standing outside of their dad's restaurant, sweeping the sidewalk. She peered into the window before looking back at her brother. "Closed today?"

"Just going through inventory and thinking about what to add to the menu," Skylar replied, stopping what he was doing to give her a one-armed hug. He then walked over to the door, pushing it open, motioning for her to step inside. "So, what brings you by, Jerk-Face?" He motioned for her to follow him up to the counter table.

"You don't want to see your lovely sister from time to time, Weasel?" Melody shot back as she sat down on a stool as he made his way back around to the kitchen.

He chuckled as he grabbed a plate, loading it with some pasta, before placing it in front of her, handing her a fork. He grabbed a second fork to take a forkful from her plate. "I'm not sure what I've been doing wrong, but something's not right about it," he replied, frowning as he chewed.

Melody twirled some around the fork before sticking it into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully, trying to distinguish what was wrong with it. She swallowed. "It's very different from dad's," she commented and watched his shoulders slump, "It's not bad, though."

"But, it doesn't taste as good as his," he replied, resting heavily on the counter. "It feels like I'd left something out." He then sucked in a deep breath of air, before letting it out. "Dad's taking the week off to rest a little bit. The stand in he hired wants to make his pasta and I told him the recipe, but I can't make it come out right."

"The pasta has the correct texture, and the sauce was well-mixed," Melody replied, "Maybe there's too little of the basil or not enough garlic. But, it's alright." She then gave him a worried look. "That bad that dad needs some more hands?"

Skylar gave a bigger smile than he did earlier, "He's just tired, but everything's going better than we expected. His hair thinned a little, but we don't think he's going to really lose his hair." He gave the Porter Family famous one-shoulder shrug. "He's had more and more good days. I've just been trying to keep my mind off things by keeping my hands busy. Everyone's in the back if you want to see them." He then stopped and fixed her with a narrow eyed stare. "Why are you here anyway?"

"It's not under the best circumstances," Melody admitted, pushing the plate back towards him before walking around to the back. "But, I'm on my way back to the Shiba House now. Just thought I'd pop in for a second."

"In your line of work, I honestly don't see how it could be under _good_ circumstances," Skylar said over his shoulder and Melody silently nodded. "Hey guys, Mel's here."

"Not that I don't want to see you or anything, sweetie" Aaron said, a concerned look on his face, "but why are you here? We saw that there was a Nighlok attack on the news…"

"Everything's fine," Melody replied, moving to sit in between Braiden and Liam, who immediately dealt her and Skylar into the game. "At least I hope its fine once I get back. I kind of had a huge decision to make during a fight today; one that'll have everyone mad at me."

She then went on to explain what had happened since she last saw them, starting with the Black Box, to the cracks seeping Sanzu River Water, to the dream she had, to the most recent fight with Armadeevil and how she had left to make sure that Bulk and Spike were ok to her conversation with Aura and the dream she had while working on the Black Box. The whole time, she explained, no one said anything. They were silent when she had finished talking as well.

"Are you mad?" Melody asked her dad in a quiet voice, seeming to shrink in her chair under his gaze.

"I honestly don't know how to feel, sweetie," Aaron replied, seeming to choose his words carefully. "I've never been put in a situation like this." He sighed, leaning back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair. Melody noticed that he checked to see if he had pulled out any of his hair and she frowned. "I can't tell you how you should've handled the situation because I know both being a Ranger and your family and friends are important to you."

"I mean, it would be great to see you all the time since we don't, but, being a Ranger means you're keeping the world safe so you can see us _after_ Xandred is gone," Mika spoke up, balancing his chair back on its back two legs. "But at the same time, with dad being sick, I see your dilemma."

"Didn't you say Emily's sister is sick?" Liam spoke up, using the cards to scratch at his eyebrow. "She must be in the same situation. But, she's staying at the Shiba House and being a Ranger."

"Last I heard, Serena was sick, I don't know how she's doing now," Melody replied with a shake of her head. "And she's not in the same city as her family, so—"

"I just think you're being a hypocrite, that's all," Liam replied with a shrug.

"Liam," Aaron said in a warning tone as everyone immediately turned to give the youngest of the family a warning look.

"So now I'm not allowed to say what's on my mind?" Liam asked, an annoyed look on his face. "I just can't ok? It sucks not being able to see you all the time. It sucks knowing you always make promises you can't keep. And I hate—" His voice cracked on the last word and he cleared his throat before continuing, "I hate having to make up lies for why you can't meet Bulk and Spike to do something. I just hate it." He roughly pushed his chair back, the wooden objecting loudly clattering to the floor as he stormed out of the room.

"I'll go see if he's ok," Braiden offered after a moment of silence. He moved to push his chair back, but stopped when Melody grabbed his arm, silently shaking her head back and forth.

"He's obviously not," she said with a heavy sigh, her voice wavering. "And I don't blame him for being upset." She rested her arms on the table and leaned forward to rest her chin on her arms. "I can never catch a break; I just make things worse. I don't know how much longer I can do this without choosing sides."

"_This won't be easy for you, Melodia_." Aura's words echoed in her ears and she snorted.

"No kidding," she muttered as a lone tear slid down her cheek.

* * *

**Phew, finally updated again. Sorry guys, I would've had this done a while ago, but college kinda crept up on me. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**~MysticMelody101~**


	7. Chapter 7: Shell Games

**.:Chapter Seven – Shell Games:.**

* * *

Melody could only imagine the backlash she was going to get as soon as she stepped into the Shiba House. She didn't want to return to the house as she hated getting yelled at (really, who did?), but she knew that every action she made held consequences. If she didn't face it head on, it was only going to get worse.

She was barely five steps through the front door when she heard, "Where the _hell _have you been?" Kevin didn't waste a minute to get up in her face unlike Mike, Emily, Jayden, and Mentor Ji who stayed in the living room, silently watching. She merely cringed when she saw a patch of gauze on his cheek. She looked closer and saw that everyone else was sporting some serious looking injuries. "What happened in that battle?"

"Kev," Jayden said quietly, instantly getting the Blue Ranger's attention. "Give her some room to breathe." Kevin shook his head, frowning, but did back off.

"I was looking for Antonio," Melody replied without thinking.

She didn't believe that her friends would instantly buy that lie; they had all seen her run off after her friends. But, it could answer the question as to why it took her so long to get back. And Jayden had told Mike and Emily to go make sure Bulk and Spike were ok, but they couldn't because of the Nighlok's attack on them.

"Your friends ok?" Mia asked, wrapping a bandage around Emily's wrist. Emily held a bag of peas in her other hand, ignoring the ice dripping from the bag and onto the floor.

"Yeah, they're fine," Melody replied with a nod. "Look, guys, I know I messed up—"

"You're lucky no one was seriously hurt," Jayden interrupted her, fixing her with a hard stare. "We could have really used you. You know that Nighlok was tough to beat." Melody saw that he had scrapes on his cheek and chin, and knew that he was right. "Help from you would've been great, especially with Antonio being AWOL."

" I'm really sorry guys," Melody said to the other Rangers, looking them all in the eye. "It never should have happened, I know, but they were my friends. And, Jay, you even asked Mike an Emily to make sure they got to safety."

"I didn't ask them to desert us in the middle of the battle," Jayden replied with a slight shake of his head. "We barely got away and we didn't know where you went. We got lucky when the Nighlok dried up."

"And on top of that, you weren't even answering your calls," Kevin practically exploded, "So we had a tough Nighlok to beat, Antonio was missing, _and_ you were gone as well." He scratched the back of his neck and let out an angry sigh. "We're so accustomed to work as a seven person team, eight including Jaeger, that it threw us off."

"We thought something happened to you when you didn't answer our calls," Emily added, giving Mia a smile of thanks as the Pink Ranger attached a butterfly clip to the bandage, making sure it stayed around her wrist. She turned around to face Melody her smile turning to a frown. "We thought something happened to you. Please, don't do that again."

"I get it, really, I do," Melody replied, sliding her hands into her pants pockets. "It's just…and I know I can't speak for you guys, but if you were in my position, I could only guess that you'd do the same if your friends or family members were involved."

"Our roles aren't reversed so there's no point in thinking about it," Jayden spoke up, getting to his feet. He walked over to Melody, holding out his hand. Melody gave him a confused look. "Give me your Samuraizer. You're on probation until this time tomorrow."

"Jayden," Mike spoke up, but fell silent when Jayden put up his hand. He caught Melody's eye and gave her an apologetic look before turning away.

Melody looked over at Ji as she took her Samuraizer out of her pocket, but he didn't say anything. Melody slapped her morpher into Jayden's hand. "And your zord." Melody complied with that request as well.

"Jayden, what'll we do when the Nighlok comes back?" Mia asked as Jayden turned on his heels, making his way over to the oak table in the middle of the room. Jayden pushed the long table to the side and revealed a square panel in the ground.

"We'll find Antonio," Jayden replied, turning around to face her, "and defeat the Nighlok." Emily opened her mouth, "If not, the five of us will handle it, no problem."

Melody chewed on her bottom lip, stuck. She knew where Antonio's morpher was and why he hadn't been answering any calls, but he didn't know how to explain that to them. On the one hand, she knew she should've take the morpher from Bulk and Spike, but on the other, it was best if she didn't because then she'd have to explain what it was, how she knew what it was, and ultimately tell them that she was a Power Ranger and had been for a while. Not only that, but she'd have to give the _real _reason as to why it took her long to get back to the house. As usual, she was in a lose-lose situation; she decided to keep her mouth shut.

"Six," Jaeger spoke up for the first time and Melody noticed that he was curled up on the table, running a paw over his face. "That is, if you really need me there."

"I'll call Ji to get you if we do," Jayden replied, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "We might need to have you as a last resort if things go wrong." He then cleared his throat. "Right now, let's try and figure out how to break through that Nighlok's shell."

"_Nothing_ gets through his armor, Jay," Mike pointed out. "How are we going to fight him?"

"We'll figure it out," Jayden replied reaching down to lift the top of the square panel, "In the meantime, we should either come up with ideas, search for Antonio, or train."

"Dude, I didn't know that was there," Mike said with a low whistle.

"That's precisely the point," Mentor commented as Jayden placed Melody's Samuraizer inside the storage space, before shutting it, sliding her zord into his pocket. "In the off chance someone stumbled upon the house and needed to come in, nothing Ranger related would be out in the open."

"Mia and I will go look for Antonio," Emily offered, getting to her feet. "Anybody remember if he said where exactly he was going this morning?" Everyone shook their heads in reply. "We'll go check all his normal fishing spots, then."

"We'll call as soon as we find him," Mia added, getting to her feet, setting aside the first aid kit that sat in her lap. She then followed Emily out of the room. Jayden instantly made his way outside; everyone knowing that out of the options he gave, he'd instantly choose training. Kevin, a hand to his chin, walked out of the living room, towards his room.

"I'm not particularly happy with the decision you chose today," Mentor spoke up, looking over at Melody, his arms behind his back. "But, I'm glad you returned home safe and sound."

"Thanks, mentor," Melody replied. Ji nodded before making his way out of the room as well.

Melody let out a heavy sigh, sitting on a now empty ottoman, clasping her hands together in her lap. "You guys mad at me, too?" she asked, looking first at Jaeger and then over at Mike.

"More disappointed," Jaeger commented after a moment of silence and Mike agreed with a nod.

"Look, dude, I know that was a hard thing for you to do," Mike said, glancing in the direction that his friends had just left. "I probably would've done the same thing. It was just bad timing. It sucks, y'know?"

"Yeah," Jaeger agreed. "And you know I have your back on anything. I may not be happy about it, but I have your back." Melody chuckled, reaching out a hand to scratch in between his ears.

"If I checked on your friends like Jayden asked, maybe this wouldn't have happened," Mike spoke up, popping his fingers. "It's my fault, Mel."

"No, it's not," Melody replied. "You were being loyal to the team. I knew the Nighlok was dangerous and I knew you guys could really get hurt, but I left anyway. I take full blame for it." She held up her fist and Mike bumped it with his own.

"So, your friends are ok?"Mike asked, glancing over his shoulder, lowering his voice. "The Nighlok didn't hurt 'em?"

"Not a scratch on 'em," Melody replied with a sigh, putting her chin her hands. "Thankfully. But right now, we have to focus on defeating that Nighlok. I guess the most useful I am to you guys now is to think up ideas."

"All Nighloks have a weakness," Jaeger spoke up. "It's just a matter of figuring it out."

"May I remind you that not _one_ of our attacks worked," Mike said running his hands over his face before he balled his hands into fists. "They all just kept bouncing off his shell. And let's not forget how fast he can move."

"We'll just have to find a way to slow him down," Melody suggested, "Or try and get under his shell. Your Forest Spear could help with that, I guess." She frowned, scratching her jaw. "There must be a way to get past that metal."

"Well, you can bend metal," Jaeger said, sitting up. "You just have to make it really, really hot. Jayden could help with that; it could make its shell an uneven surface so it wouldn't be able to roll well."

"I thought for sure Emily's Earth Slicer would be able to hit the Nighok hard enough to crack its shell," Mike said with a shake of his head. "I have no idea where to start thinking, guys."

"I'd stick with 'crack' if I were you," Kevin commented, walking back into the room, wearing his training gear. "I have an idea; we just need to put the right attacks in the right order."

"What do you mean, Kev?" Jaeger asked, his whiskers twitching.

"We need to slow the Nighlok down and crack its shell," Kevin replied looking out the back window, waving his arms until he got Jayden's attention. Jayden hurried inside, holding his Fire Smasher, breathing heavily, sweat on his forehead.

"What's up?" he asked, catching his breath. "You have an idea?"

"Do you guys know what a fissure us?" Kevin asked, thinking quickly. When he didn't get a reply, he hurried on. "It's a long narrow crack in rock; most known to be caused by mechanical weathering from icy, wind, snow, etc. What we need to do to the Nighlok is to heat up its shell as much as possible, and then quickly freeze it; it'll chip and crack from the quick change in temperature, giving us a weak spot."

"Good job, Kev," Jayden said, clapping the Blue Ranger on the shoulder seconds before the Gap Sensor went off. He quickly moved to push the table back, tapping the top to open the map. "Let's go; we can meet the girls on the way." He then turned to face Melody. "Tell Ji where we're going."

"Good luck. I'll tell Ji to keep trying Antonio's Samuraizer," she replied as the three boys hurried out of the house. She then turned to Jaeger, sighing. "Where's a viewing globe when you need one?"

"I can only imagine that your predicament is going to get worse and worse as the Nighlok threat continues to grow," Jaeger mused aloud, his tail twitching back and forth. "For that, I'm apologizing in advance for the shit you're going to go through."

Melody's lips twitched into a small smile.

* * *

The Rangers hurried back to the stadium, where the Nighlok was once again, wreaking havoc on the citizens of Panorama City. He was curled up into a ball again, rolling around on the ground, at the frightened peopled.

"Stop right there, Nighlok," Jayden, now morphed, shouting, pointing his Spin Sword at Armadeevil. Armadeevil rolled around before popping out of its ball, glaring at the Rangers.

"You Rangers again?" he laughed, unphased by Jayden's yell. "I can't wait to roll right over you again."

"You just proved how foolish you are, thinking you can win!" the Nighlok jumped back into his ball and he started to roll towards the Rangers. The Rangers stood still, staring down the Nighlok.

"We _can_ win," Jayden replied, resting his blade on his shoulder, "we have a plan. Take the lead, Kev."

"Got it," Kevin replied with a nod, letting out a slow breath air. "Mike, Emily, get ready. Don't go until I say so."

"You got it, Kev," Emily replied, giving Kevin a thumbs up before reaching for her Samuraizer. Closer and closer the Nighlok got to them, gaining speed as it rolled.

"_Now_!" Kevin shouted when the Nighlok was thirty feet away from them.

"Symbol Power," Mike and Emily shouted together, drawing a symbol in the air in their respective colors as fast as they could, "Barricade."

Vines appeared in front of Mike as large rocks appeared in front of Emily. The vine wove in between the rock before coming together form a solid rock wall. The Nighlok slammed right into the wall, stopping mid roll, the force of the collision sending him flying back. As the Nighlok hit the ground, it unrolled, lying on its back.

"Ha!" Mike laughed, turning to give Emily a high five. "Us one; you nothing."

"Our turn, Mia," Jayden said attaching his Red Lion Disc to his Spin Sword, giving it a hard push as Mia summoned her Sky Fan. Flames licked up the blade to Jayden's sword. "On my mark." He watched as the Nighlok slowly got to its feet. "Now!"

Mia started swinging her fan in the air, causing the wind to pick up with a pink hue. Jayden swung his sword in the air, the wind making the flames stronger, shooting the combined stack at the Nighlok. Armadeevil merely laughed as it jumped, turning around so the attack hit his shell.

"You Rangers can't do better than that?" Armadeevil laughed, turning to face the Rangers again."That tickled a little bit."

"Alright, my turn!" Kevin said as he stepped forward, pulling out his Samuraizer. "Symbol Power; Tidal Wave." Kevin could instantly feel some of his energy draining as he created the large wave, knocking the Nighlok over. It was a symbol he had been working on for a while, but he didn't know how much energy it would take out of him when he finally used it.

"Look!" Emily pointed to the shell as the Nighlok got to his feet, "Its cracking!" She bounced on her toes in excitement. "Kev, your plan worked."

"Dude, that actually worked!" Mike said as he took Jayden's stance, resting his sword on his shoulder. "Nice plan, Kev. I guess." He smirked at the Blue Ranger behind his helmet.

"Let's end this shell game," Jayden said before he led the charge to fighting the Nighlok.

The Nighlok's shell was cracked, but they still found it hard to land a blow on Armadeevil. He was still fast and could easily knock the Rangers around with a cuff to their head and shoulders. He laughed as he shot a beam of energy out of his eyes, hitting the Rangers' feet, knocking them to the ground. Jayden's elbows stung as he pushed himself off the ground. He heard Kevin muttering something and turned his head to see the Blue Ranger lying on the ground still, but was talking to himself, trying to come up with another plan.

Jayden pushed himself up to his feet, retrieving the Black Box, holding it out to Kevin with one hand, helping him to his feet with the other. "You deserve this, Kev," he announced, placing it in the Blue Ranger's hand. "The Black Box will give you the extra power you need to defeat the Nighlok." pulled out the black box and he passed the device over to Kevin, "I think you deserve to finish him off."

"The Black Box? You really think I can do it?" Kevin asked, looking from Jayden, to the Black Box, and back.

"If you won't, I will, dude," Mike said, wiggling his fingers in the air as he, Mia, and Emily circled around him and Jayden.

"I _know _you can do it, Kev," Jayden replied with a nod. "Finish your plan."

Kevin grinned behind his helmet, "It'll be my pleasure." He then turned towards the Yellow Ranger. "Emily, come with me, I'm going to need your help. Jayden, Mia, and Mike, keep the Nighlok as occupied as possible." As the Red, Green, and Pink Rangers hurried off to give Kevin enough time to execute his plan, Kevin quickly explained to Emily what he needed her help with.

Mia, Jayden, and Mike did their best to hold off the Nighlok, but he was still outmatched for them. Mike and Mia was able to grab a hold of one of the Nighlok's arms, trying to hold it still, but the Nighlok merely shot attacks out form its eyes, aiming for Kevin and Emily. Jayden quickly blocked the attack with two strikes from his Spin Sword, cutting through the attack.

"Do it, Em," Kevin commanded.

"Right," Emily said with a nod, flipping open her Samuraizer for a second time. "Symbol Power; Hole!" A hole instantly appeared in the ground. "Do it, Kev."

Kevin took in a deep breath before jumping into the hole, "Super Samurai Mode."

* * *

"I swear if he's not down here, I'm going to kill him," Melody growled as she, Emily, and Mike made their way towards the pier.

Kevin was successful in defeating the Nighlok in Super Samurai Mode. They also found out during that battle that the Rangers could control all zords, to combine into a form of the Megazord, even without the owner there. Mike was upset that Kevin was the next one to use the Black Box, was itching to try it out for himself.

After the fight they realized that Antonio hadn't shown up to the battle, so they started to get worried about him. Jayden used his Samuraizer to call Ji to tell him that they were going to search the city for Antonio. Melody drove the Shiba family car into the city to join Mike and Emily in their search. They've been searching all through the city to Antonio's favorite fishing spots to find him. After their long battle, they just wanted to find him and get him back home.

"He _has_ to be here," Mike said, sliding his hands into his back jeans pockets, "we've checked all his other fishing spots."

"_Look_," Emily cried, throwing out her arm, catching Mike in the stomach, causing him to stop walking. She used her other hand to point ahead of her. "There he is!" They looked in the direction Emily was pointing and saw Antonio sitting on top of his cooler, feet stretching out in front of him, resting on a wood rung of the fence around the pier. His head was bobbing from side to side in the time to the music he was listening to on his gold headphones. "I'm glad he's alright."

"How many times have we told him to _not_ listen to music while fishing?" Melody asked in a huff as she the three of them started walking towards him.

"It's no wonder he didn't hear his morpher go off," Mike commented, pulling his own out of his pocket. "We should see if he can put in a vibrating feature on this, like a real phone." A grin then came to his face. "Either way, now I won't feel so bad about giving him grief for making us worry about him." His smile got a little wider, "This should be fun."

"Wait!" Emily cried, hurrying forward. "Is that Antonio's morpher?" She held up the device towards Mike, grinning. "That explains so much."

"Yeah…wonder how it got over here," Melody added, using her hand to shield the sun from her face. Mike just clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

"Looks like we've got to bail him out again," he commented, leading the way over to Antonio.

"I bet you he doesn't even know it's gone," Emily said.

"You'd win that bet," Melody replied without thinking. Her eyes widened slightly as Emily turned to face her. "I mean…if Antonio knew it was gone…he'd be frantically searching the place." Emily nodded as Mike stepped up behind Antonio. Melody briefly closed her eyes, letting out sigh of relief. _Next time, Mel, think before you talk._

"Hey," Mike said, tapping Antonio on the shoulder.

Antonio jumped, whirling around, a look of fear on his face before he relaxed into a smile, noticing who it was. "Oh, hey guys," he practically shouted before pulling his headphones off his ears. "What's up?"

"Oh, not much," Emily replied, her arms behind her back. "It's a great day today, don't you think?"

"Si, but unfortunately the fish don't think it's a great day for a swim," Antonio commented with a frown, glancing over at his fishing pole that was lying against the fence. His eyes widened when he turned back and saw Emily hold his morpher. He instantly started patting his pockets.

"I think you dropped something," she laughed as he snatched it out of her hands.

"Whoa, thanks," he cried, hugging it to his chest. "Do you have any idea what Mentor would do to me if I lost this thing?"

"I have a guess," Melody commented and Mike elbowed her in the side.

"Speaking of which, you haven't been checking your messages have you?" Mike asked, crossing his arms over his chest, raising his eyebrows.

"_Thirty-four missed calls_?" Antonio gasped, staring at the flashing number that appeared on the screen to his morpher as he flipped it open. "What happened? Are you guys ok?"

"Oh, we're fine," Emily replied with a nod of her head. "But, you won't be once you get back home."

Mike pressed his lips together, squinting at Antonio before turning towards Emily. "You think we should make him sweat about it?"

"Definitely," Emily replied with a grin. She then turned on her heels and started making her way back to the Shiba House, Mike falling into step beside her.

"Is Mentor that mad?" Antonio shouted after Mike and Emily as Melody stood by, watching them leave. "Guys?!" He scrambled to start packing up his stuff, dropping his fishing poles and knocking things over. "Aw man, and I was having a wonderful day!"

"Just make sure you always have it from now on, Antonio," Melody said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Check constantly if you have to. We were able to defeat the Nighlok this time only because using the Black Box means you can control all the zords without having the owner there."

"What?" Antonio asked, turning around to open the lid of his cooler to see the Clawzord and Octozord still inside. "I didn't even realize—" he trailed off, biting his lower lip. "Alright, I understand. I'll be more careful from now on. I swear." A worried look crossed his face. "So, Mentor? How mad is he?"

"He's madder at me right now," Melody replied, turning to face him. Antonio gave her a confused look as she reached up a hand to rub at her temple, her head starting to pound. "I'll explain later."

"You ok?" Antonio asked, glancing over at Melody as he packed up his stuff.

Melody's lips turned up in the corners as she dropped her arm. "I'm golden," she replied, causing him to smile. She then tilted her head to the side and said, "Let's get back, you have a _lot_ of explaining to do."


	8. Chapter 8: Punishment

**.:Chapter Eight - Punishment:.**

* * *

Melody and Antonio sat in two cushy chairs in one of Mentor Ji's offices. Antonio tapped his fingers on the arm rests of his chair, chewing on his bottom lip. Melody had her arms crossed over her chest, staring at the ceiling. Antonio had been dreading this moment since he had returned home to the Shiba House after Mike, Emily, and Melody had found him.

But, it didn't happen right away.

He had to suffer the rest of the day and all through the night, wondering how mad Jayden and Mentor Ji was and wonder when they were going to have a talk with him. The minute training was over that morning, both he and Melody were asked to join both Jayden and Mentor in Ji's office. They knew they were in trouble and they knew both Jayden and Mentor were really ticked off at them for their actions.

"You are already on probation for your actions during the last fight," Ji commented, folding his hands on his desk. He glanced over at Jayden, who was standing in the corner, leaning against the wall, and he nodded. "What you did was very dangerous. Not only that, but to leave in the middle of a fight shows that you might not be fully committed to being a Samurai."

"I am, I promise," Melody replied, tilting her chin down to look at him. She uncrossed her arms and sighed, blowing her bangs out of her face. "It was just hard seeing them that close to the fight and I didn't know if they got hurt and…yeah."

"We understand that it was hard for you to see that," Jayden spoke up, "but at the same time you had a job as a Ranger to protect not only your friends and family but the other citizens. I originally sent Mike and Emily after them because I knew the urge to check on them yourself was too great." He was silent for a moment before adding, "And I know I've already said this a lot, but it's true; we got lucky that that Nighlok dried out. I don't know what we would've done if you had left and he continued to attack the city."

"I know," Melody replied with a nod before adding in a quiet voice, "You have to understand that I didn't mean any harm." Jayden blinked, peering at her. Where was the girl who didn't take crap from anybody? Instead was a girl who seemed to be a shell of her former self; small, scared, and guilty. "I'm sorry."

"And that's supposed to make it all right?" Jayden asked in a low voice. Mentor gave him a warning look, but he ignored it. "Mel, you knew the rules. It wasn't just to make me sound like a jerk, but to keep everyone you know and love safe. Because of your actions, we nearly got killed."

"I know," Melody repeated.

"A little after you first got here, I saw you in the park with someone," Jayden said, scratching the side of his jaw, "you were playing the guitar. It was one of your brothers wasn't it?" Melody silently nodded. Jayden let out a breath of air, briefly closing his eyes. "So this whole time you chose to continue risking their lives." _Just like I continued to choose to protect you. Can't you see that I was doing that to keep you safe_? _And them_?

"You…you don't understand," Melody said, her voice cracking as she rubbed at her temples. "They know I'm a Ranger, they know I was a Ranger before. They know how to handle everything. They know how to handle my powers."

"Jay," Antonio spoke up, "I think you're being a little too harsh." Jayden raised his eyebrows, silently urging Antonio to continue. "I mean, if our families lived here, we'd probably do the same thing." He glanced over at Melody and added, "She's done so much for us, the least you could do is hear her out."

"I wish I didn't have to make that stupid choice," Melody said, her voice filled with emotion. "But, I just couldn't do it. I was backed into a corner."

"Surely you could see that it'd be a hard decision for any of us to make if we were put into that situation," Antonio said, putting his hand in the air, "_and_ you granted me permission in seeing my dad over Christmas. I just don't think it's fair that—"

"Thank you, Antonio," Ji interrupted him, silencing him with a look. Antonio dropped his hand into his lap, pressing his lips together. "It's not to say that we're giving any Ranger special treatment, but as she has been a Ranger longer, she knows the risks of getting your family and friends involved with Ranger problems."

He was silent for a moment, looking over at Jayden who nodded, motioning for him to continue."Mel, Jayden and I have taken the time to talk about what we think is best for you and best for this team."

"Kay," Melody quietly replied, her right knee bobbing as she started tapping her foot.

"And we're sorry it has to come to this," Mentor Ji commented, briefly closing his eyes, folding his hands on the table, "and Jayden and I are sorry to have to tell you this, but for you punishment.." He trailed off watching Melody as she shifted in her seat, looking nervous, "as well as being on probation; you are assigned to take over Jayden's chose for a month as well as help the other Rangers with their chores."

"I…what?" Melody asked. Fear, confusion, relief, and anger had quickly flashed over her face before she was left with a blank look. Jayden's shoulders started to shake as he silently laughed. Antonio let out a short laugh in shock. Then she understood. "You guys are such jerks. That's _so _not funny." Despite being mad, she couldn't help but smile; she felt relieved. She put a hand over her heart. "You scared me have to death."

"Good," Jayden replied, taking in a breath of air.

"We talked extensively about what had happened," Mentor explained as Jayden regained his composure. "And we understand that it was a tough decision for you; as it would for any of the Rangers in your position. We took into consideration how we allowed not only Antonio, but you as well to visit your family over the Christmas holiday. We've seen how much you've improved since you arrived at the Shiba House and we know that you'll do anything and everything you can in the fight against the Nighlok to keep the city and your family and friends safe. Most importantly, we know how much you want to be here."

"I could tell just by looking at you that you were worried that we were going to do something drastic like ask you to leave the team," Jayden said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You weren't your normal sarcastic self. I had never seen you so…small. Being a Samurai is the ultimate sacrifice; and I can't stress enough how you're keeping your family and friends safe by staying away from them. Consider this your first and last warning." He then gave a small smile. "You won't be allowed out of the house for the duration of your probation and you also have to apologize to the other Rangers for your actions. But, something tells me they'll forgive you."

"I'll apologize right away, thank you," Melody replied, finally allowing a full blown smile to cross her face. It then quickly faded. "Wait a minute, your chore this month is laundry." Jayden just nodded and Melody cringed. "Can I at least use a gas mask when cleaning Mike's clothes."

Jayden chuckled in reply before turning towards Antonio who slumped low in his chair, eyes wide. "You're lucky Emily found your Samuraizer on the boardwalk yesterday," he commented. "Who knows what would've happened if someone found it?"

"I didn't realize it had fallen out of my pocket," Antonio replied, drumming his fingers on the arm rests of his chair. "I went to a few different fishing spots today before going to the pier." He gave a quick smile. "At least it didn't fall out of my pocket somewhere else. It was just a few feet away from me."

"He's got a point," Melody said. Both Jayden and Mentor gave her a look, silently asking her to be silent an she gave a sheepish grin, making a "zip the lip" motion with her fingers over her mouth.

"Nevertheless, I also warned you about listening to music while you went fishing," Ji commented, drumming his thumbs on the table, "especially listening to music really loudly. If you weren't listening to your music, you probably would've heard your morpher go off."

Antonio nodded, chewing on his bottom lip. "I promise I'll keep track of it from now on," Antonio said, sitting up in his chair, wiping his hands on his jeans. "You won't have any problems from me. I understand that you guys really needed me in the fight. I'm glad everyone's ok though. And, well, the Nighlok _was _defeated."

"True," Jayden replied with a nod. "Antonio, you can't leave the house of the rest of the week except for when there's a Nighlok attack. You'll be in charge of bringing in and out the training equipment each day. This means no fishing until this time next week." Antonio let out a loud gasp of horror, his eyes widening. "You'll also be helping Mentor make the meals for the rest of the week. Given that Mia will ask to cook dinner, I suggest you help her out as well. "

Jayden frowned, thinking about the goop of Brussels sprouts and chocolate they had narrowly avoided when the Nighlok attacked the day before. By the time everyone got home from searching for Antonio, they decided to order a pizza, much to Mike's delight. "Plus, I noticed you brought home enough fish to last us a while."

"Speaking of fish; I do have more than we need," Antonio slowly replied, "and I had already rented out a spot at the Farmer's Market to sell some of my fish creations there. Could I still-?"

"I don't see why not," Mentor commented. "You did mention this a while back. Just make sure you have your morpher on you at all times. I'm not against Jayden or myself doing a routine check to make sure you have it."

"I've been thinking about this as well," Jayden said, rubbing his chin. "Antonio, do you think it's possible for you to somehow program your morpher and our Samuraizers to have a tracking feature on it?"

"Most likely, but the parts aren't cheap," Antonio replied, shrugging. But, he broke into a smile anyway. "Sounds like fun. You can count on me, amigo."

"I hope so," Jayden replied, moving to clap Antonio on the shoulder. Antonio's smile faded and Jayden mentally kicked himself. He knew how being a Samurai was important to Jayden and he knew that Antonio didn't want to let him down. "Both of you are key assets to this team and great friends." He then turned back towards Mentor. "Is that everything, Ji?"

"Yes, you may go, but Jayden I'd like to talk to you for a moment," Ji replied with a nod. Jayden gave Ji a confused look but stayed where he was as Antonio and Melody walked to the door.

Antonio grasped the door handle, twisted it, and pulled the door open, jumping back as Mike, Emily, Kevin, and Mia fell into the room in a heap in shouts and cries of surprise. Mike was holding a glass in his hand.

"Ow, Mike!" Kevin groaned, pushing himself up onto his elbows, "you're on my head!"

"Thanks for breaking my fall, dude," Mike said with a grin, patting Kevin on the head. He then looked over at Jayden and his smile faded. "Fancy meeting you here, dude."

"Were you eavesdropping?"Ji asked, getting to his feet. Mike gulped.

"No," Emily groaned, rubbing her elbow, which was now bright red. "We couldn't hear anything; the door was too thick."

"It was Mike's idea," Mia added and Mike quickly moved the cup behind his back, smiling from ear to ear. "I tried to stop them."

"I think we can all agree that the most important thing is that Antonio and Melody are sticking around," Mike said with a grin as he got to his feet. He then looked uncertain and asked, "You _are _sticking around, right?"

"Yeah, but I can't go fishing for the rest of the week, and I'm not allowed out of the Shiba House unless a Nighlok shows up," Antonio replied, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "I'm also in charge of the training equipment, bringing them in and out of the house, and wherever we go to train. And I have to help Mentor make the meals…and Mia whenever she gets the chance."

"Great," Mia said, getting to her knees. She clasped her hands together, smiling from ear to ear. "I can't wait to show you what I have planned. I'm sure you'll love it."

"What about you?" Emily, who was still on the floor, asked as she propped up her head with her hand.

"I'm on probation until further notice, I can't leave the Shiba House until that's up," Melody replied, "And I have to take over Jayde's chores for the rest of the month as well as help you guys with yours."

"Sweet," Mike said with a grin, rubbing his hands together.

"_Helping_ you with your chores," Melody replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm not doing it all for you." She then held out her hand for the glass, wiggling her fingers. Mike pouted, placing the glass into her hand. "Thanks for sticking up for me, Antonio," she said, turning to face the Gold Ranger as the fallen Rangers picked themselves up off the floor.

"No problema, chica," Antonio replied, giving her a warm smile and a wink. "Anything to make sure I get to see your lovely face every day."

"Thanks," Melody replied, deadpan, although she had a small smile on her face.

"Jayden, close the door, please," Mentor said to the Red Ranger. "As for the rest of you, go and…clean up the house or something."

"Guys, I just wanted to apologize for my actions the other day," Melody said as she lead the way from the door. "It was really selfish and disrespectful to the rest of you guys and I hated knowing that you were mad at me. I know it wasn't the right thing to do and I know I left you guys hanging during that battle. I deserve every punishment I get. I'm _really_ sorry."

"It's ok," Mia replied with a warm smile. She glanced over at Kevin, Mike, and Emily before continuing. "Sure, we were mad that you betrayed us like that, but we've been talking about it, and we know that it was a tough decision for you; to be loyal to both us and your friends." She then moved forward to give her a hug. "We forgive you, Mel." She then pointed a finger in her face and added, "Just don't do it again."

"No worries," Melody replied before she returned the Pink Ranger's hug.

"I'm willing to forgive you for it," Kevin spoke up, a serious look on his face. "But, I won't forget. What you did was dangerous, Mel. I do accept your apology, though."

"Come on, Kev," Emily said with a frown. "She apologized. That's not fair."

"It's plenty fair," Kevin replied, drumming his fingers on the kitchen counter. "Have you all forgotten the Samurai Code? Loyalty is of the utmost important part of being a Samurai." He held his breath for a moment before letting it all out in a huff.

"I knew you weren't happy when I first joined the team because you didn't know a thing about me and I wasn't too accepting of Jayden's offer to begin with," Melody replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the Blue Ranger. "And I know it's mainly because I'm not a true Samurai. But just like Antonio, time and time again I've proven that you don't _have_ to inherit Samurai powers from your parents to be a Samurai."

"And I understand that," Kevin replied evenly, bobbing his head in a nod. "But last time I checked, you didn't have to be a Samurai to be a loyal friend."

"Kevin," Emily gasped.

"Dude, kinda harsh," Mike pointed out, jumping to sit on the counter nearest him. "She made a mistake, that's all."

"We have no room for mistakes," Kevin replied, fixing Mike with a hard stare. "Guys, need I remind you that the Nighlok can mutate now?" He threw his arms into the air. "And with each passing day, the Sanzu River seeps into our world, a little more each time. We don't have room for screw ups right now." He set his jaw, starting to back up out of the room. "I'm going to go train. One Ranger down, and we need all the help we can get."

"We still have Jaeger," Emily pointed out. She looked around, wrinkling her nose. "Where is he anyway?"

"Outside," Melody replied, keeping her eyes on Kevin. "Running a perimeter check of the city." She sighed, scratching at her eyebrow as Kevin left the room."Man, how old do you have to be before people stop treating you like a kid?" She tilted her head to the side. "Not that I don't deserve that; I understand why he's upset."

"I just don't think—"

"It's alright guys," Melody replied, putting her hand up in the air, seeing the apologetic look on Mia's face."Kevin's right; we have to keep our thoughts on the mission, we can't mess up now." She looked them each in the eye. "It's important that we keep our focus on the mission; keeping Jayden safe to use the Sealing Symbol. Besides, being on probation, that gives me more time to work on my symbol power."

"Xandred's_ is _sending out Nighlok on a regular basis again," Antonio replied, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "We're all going to have to be careful. We can't have anyone else sitting out during a fight. We'll be pounded for sure."

"I'll continue training," Melody replied. "Anyway to help you guys out. You know I hate feeling like a burden to you guys." She then leaned on the counter in front of her. "It's not the first time I've had to sit out during a fight, but it gets easier to accept. The minute I get back into action, the Nighlok won't stand a chance."

She used her shoulder to brush her hair out of her face. "Do I regret seeing my friends? No. Do I regret the way I went about it? Hell yeah. Am I upset about the punishment I got? No. I accept responsibility for my actions. But, I've _always _got your back, for the time being, it'll just be from here. Rangers together-"

"Samurai forever," Emily finished for her.

"You're not a burden, dude," Mike said, shaking his head. "You make things better around here. Imagine the house _before_ you got here." He grinned. "The stick was farther up Kevin's ass back then. Plus, now I have a worthy opponent in Mario Kart."

"Mike, that's not nice. You know how important training and the Samurai lifestyle is to Kevin," Emily said in a scolding tone. Mike's smile just got bigger as he shrugged. "In his defense, he has gotten better about lightening up." She sighed. "What do you think Mentor needs to talk to Jayden about?"

"Who knows," Mia replied with a shake of her head. "Could be anything."

Antonio loudly clapped his hands together, to get their attention. "You guys are seriously bringing down my mood," he commented before he crossed his arms over his chest. "If you want to give your taste buds a little kick, come down to the farmer's market this afternoon for something to eat. I'm trying out some new fish recipes."

"I'm totally there," Emily said with a grin. "It's not that far from the flea market coming to town. I wanted to check some things out. Mia, wanna come?"

"I would, but I wanted to train," Mia replied, giving Emily an apologetic smile, "Maybe I can get whatever's bothering Kevin out of him. Get him to calm down a little bit."

"Mia, you don't have to—"

"I want to," Mia replied, putting a hand on Melody's shoulder. "It'll personally make me feel better. I know he's not mad at you, it's something else."

"I've been sensing the same thing," Melody replied with a grin. "Besides, you wouldn't be your 'motherly' self if you didn't try and pry." Mia smiled.

"I'll go with you, Em," Mike offered, rubbing his stomach. "I'm in the mood for some of Antonio's fish tacos. Could you hook a boy up?"

"Sure can," Antonio replied, raising his fist. Mike grinned and bumped Antonio's fist with his own.

"I guess I'll just do some laundry while you guys are gone," Melody replied with a sigh. She then turned towards Mia, giving her a curious look. "Think you can bottle up some clean fresh air or something? I'm going to need it if I'm doing Mike's laundry."

Mia burst out laughing. "I'll see what I can do," she promised. "Just so you know, and Kevin probably won't admit it, but we're all glad you're here. And don't forget it. We all make mistakes." She gave Melody another hug. "Just so you know, I liked my shirts ironed."

"Got it," Melody laughed, giving the Pink Ranger a thumbs up.

"My clothes don't smell _that_ bad, guys," Mike said with a frown.

"They smell like a wet dog," Emily giggled into her hand, "and we don't _have _a dog."

"Yeah, yeah," Mike replied, waving his hand in the air. "It's not my problem, now. It's Mel's since it _was _Jayden's chore for the month."

"Goody," Melody said with a shake of her head.

"Alright, I'm going to go shower and then head out," Emily said, brushing her hair out of her face. "Mike and I will meet you in the city, Antonio." The Rangers then split up, waiting to take their turn in the shower. Antonio and Melody stayed in the kitchen.

"You sure you're ok?" Antonio asked as Melody took the glass in her hand and went to the sink to fill it with water. "Mike is right, Kevin was pretty harsh."

"Don't worry about me, Antonio, I'm fine. And Kevin is harsh from time to time," Melody replied, turning around to face him. "He didn't hurt my feelings or anything; Kevin is entitled to his own opinion about things that go on around here. He's intense in a good way."

"But there is something bothering you," Antonio said as more of a fact than a question.

Melody was silent for a moment. "Talk to Ji and Jayden in there, it brought me back to how I was in high school; always getting in trouble," she explained. "I really do want to be here; I love being a Ranger, and I love hanging out with everybody and training, and protecting people. But, I often wonder if I really need to be here."

"What do you mean?" Antonio asked. "Are you thinking of leaving?"

"No," Melody reassured him as she reached up a hand to run her fingers through her hair. She paused for a moment, pressing the heel of her hand to her temple. "It's just a thought, don't worry." She then gave him a smile. "Besides, things are just starting to get better around here. I'd rather not leave that."

"So, you're not upset that Kevin-"

"No, I expected him to be like that, he's just passionate about being a Samurai," Melody replied, the smile still on her face. "Like I said, it didn't hurt my feelings or anything. I knew he wouldn't forgive and forget that easily. That's who Kevin is; he sets his sights on a goal and gets frustrated when things go awry. He was the same way before you arrived. He just wants what we all want; to defeat the Nighlok with the least amount of stress as possible. Honestly, I know everything's good now and I know that _he _knows that I'm serious about being a Ranger. But, I'm going to prove him wrong; I can be a good Samurai _and _a good friend."

Antonio smiled. "Ah, _now_ the true Melody arrives."

Melody rolled her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: **Just in case anyone's confused or not getting it: Melody has caught a break. Everything's going good for her now. :)

~MysticMelody101~


	9. Chapter 9: Private Conversations

**.:Chapter Nine – Private Conversations:.**

* * *

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Ji?" Jayden asked, closing the door quietly behind him. He made sure his teammates weren't at the door listening. He didn't know what Ji was going to talk to him about, but he had an idea, and he didn't want them listening in. Mentor motioned for him to sit in one of the chairs that Antonio and Melody had just abandoned. "What's wrong?"

Ji didn't instantly reply. He sat with his hands folded on his table, staring hard at Jayden. "You've really grown up to be a young man that I'm happy to say your father would be proud of."

Jayden blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Thanks, Ji," he replied quietly. "I really owe it all to you, though."

"No thanks are necessary," Ji replied, waving his hands in the air. "I'm proud to see all your accomplishments and to call you the Red Ranger." Jayden gave a short nod. "However, with the threat of the Nighlok coming, I can't help but wonder—"

"I don't know when I'm going to tell them, Ji," Jayden interrupted him.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He knew what Ji was going to say a split second before he brought it up. He was also wondering when he was going to tell his teammates, his _friends_ about his secret. As the days went on and the Nighlok grew stronger, it was harder and harder for him to keep. He knew Antonio would understand the circumstances, but at the same time he was worried if even his best friend would be immune to the fact that he had been lying to him that whole time.

It was no secret that Antonio really looked up to him, and he felt bad for even doubting Antonio's trust for even a second. It hurt him to see Antonio's quick look of fear and doubt when he had answered "I hope so" to Antonio's promise of everyone being able to rely on him. Jayden knew he could rely on Antonio, but as the threat of the Nighlok got stronger, he was starting to have doubts about a lot of things. Most importantly, how the other Rangers would take his news as soon as he told them.

"I don't know how either," he replied.

"Jayden, it's important that you tell them before it's too late," Mentor Ji replied. Jayden turned away from him, already knowing why it was so important. "I know you've heard this man times, but listen to me one more time." Jayden slowly turned back to face him. "It won't be in their best interest to keep the secret for too long and then are forced to tell them at the last minute."

"I just…I don't know how they'd react," Jayden replied with a shake of his head. "I mean, I'm lying to them. You and I both got upset, and felt somewhat betrayed, when we found out Melody was lying about seeing her family and friends. And this is on a bigger scale. It really affects everybody."

He shook his head, slumping in his chair. To his teammates, Jayden was, to quote Mike, "the man." It wasn't really a title he was proud of having; keeping secrets and pretending to act like everything was fine was hard enough. They all trusted him and respected him and everything that came out of his mouth. To them he _was _ the Red Ranger and he _was _their leader. They'd follow him anywhere and he knew it. And that's what made it so hard to tell them the truth.

It's been almost a year since Mia, Mike, Kevin, and Emily had joined him in the house; almost 6 months since Melody and Jaeger arrived, and 4 months since Antonio had returned, but he felt like he has known them for years. They quickly learned how to work together as a team and as friends not only on the battlefield but off; with chores around the house, and trips to the beach or to the parks on their days off to get to know each other better and to have a good time.

Having his best friend back, it was the hardest not to tell Antonio about it. They had always kept each other's secrets when they were kids; big secrets like Jayden secretly training Antonio how to be a Samurai when he himself was supposed to be training, or how Jayden didn't tell Antonio's dad, that Antonio had broken his dad's fishing poles because he was using it as a shinai while they trained. He knew Antonio would have his back on anything, just like the other Rangers.

This gave Jayden even more reason to keep denying to himself that he should tell the other Rangers and keep them as far away from knowing the truth as possible. That was the plan and it had been working well for almost a year, but he knew the time was quickly approaching and he wasn't ready for it. And he didn't think he ever would be.

Meanwhile, Mia had made her way outside and watched as Kevin trained. Beads of sweat lined his forehead, and a frown of concentration was etched onto his face. _It's no wonder, Kevin's a great Samurai_, she thought as she watched him. _Every emotion…he puts his heart into training_.

"Kevin."

Kevin immediately stopped what he was doing, breathing so hard, his chest was heaving. He used his arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead, shaking his head slightly. "I'm not going to apologize to her," he gasped out in between deep breaths.

"You don't have to," Mia replied with a shake of her head, moving to sit on one of the concrete benches. She patted the empty spot next to her and Kevin hesitated before sitting down next to her. "You kind of blew up back there."

Kevin sucked in a deep breath before quickly letting it out, nodding. "I know," he replied. "But, I don't regret it. What I said was right."

"Kev," Mia said, an edge to her tone, "you have every right to express your opinion. I just think you could've…said it better." She raked her fingers through her hair. "I mean, I understand your frustrations, but you can't deny that Mel has been a good friend to us."

"Like when? " Kevin snorted. "When she kept her powers a secret from us? When she ditched us in the middle of that fight; leaving us to fend for ourselves? When she—"

"I get it," Mia said, cutting him off as she put up her hand. "So she's made some mistakes. I bet if _you_ had her powers you'd be hesitant to tell people as well." She tilted her head to the side. "Just think how she feels."

"She's had so long with her powers, Mia—"

"So have you, if you think about it, maybe even longer," Mia interrupted him again. "Having the power of Darkness doesn't sound easy, Kev. And even for someone as strong as you, I don't think you could truly understand it and really get control over it." Kevin didn't reply. He just continued to breathe until his heart rate slowed and he was breathing normally.

"Maybe…maybe calling her a bad friend was taking things too far," Kevin admitted after a moment of silence. "I'll admit, she's done a lot of great things while she's been here…despite the arguments we've had."

He would never admit it, but it was because of her that he was training hard. As soon as he first saw her in training, and even in battle, he knew that she was a skilled martial artist and grasped things pretty quickly. He could tell that besides himself and Jayden, she was one of the most skilled people there, maybe even a little better than him. All Kevin wanted was to impress Jayden, to show that he could be just as great a Samurai as his leader.

"What's wrong, Kevin?" Mia asked after a moment of silence. "Something's been bothering you for a while, I can tell."

Kevin didn't want to answer. He hesitated for a moment before turning in his seat to face her. "Ever since Madimot put that spell on me…I've felt like I've had to prove, not only to myself, but to everyone here that I was a strong Samurai, and I wasn't ever going to turn my back on you guys."

Mia's shoulders slumped. She knew that Kevin felt responsible for his actions while under the Nighlok's spell no matter what anyone told him. She remembered Melody trying to cheer him up by telling Kevin about her friend, Tommy. She thought it had helped; but clearly it didn't. Mia reached out a hand and took Kevin's in hers, gently stroking the back of his hand with her thumb.

"You know we don't blame you for that, Kev," she said quietly.

"I know, I know you don't," Kevin immediately replied, his head bobbing in a series of nods. "I just can't stop blaming myself." He lowered his voice, a look of guilt crossing his face. "You don't understand, Mia; I knew what I was doing the whole time. I couldn't stop myself. I was trying _so hard_ to stop myself from going after you guys and after Jayden. But, I couldn't stop."

Mia felt her heart lurch. She had noticed that Kevin was a little bit different since that interaction with the Nighlok, not enough for anyone to really notice, but she had. And Kevin downplayed it really well. She wondered if Mike's constant comments about Kevin having a stick up his ass hurt the Blue Ranger.

"You and Mel have a lot in common." Mia and Kevin turned to see Jaeger padding up to them. He was talking around the dead fish that was hanging out of his mouth. He jumped onto Mia's lap and Mia gently took the fish out of his mouth, making a face before setting it down beside her. "Both you guys have found out the hard way how much of an emotional toll it takes to not have control over what you do. Tommy Oliver as well."

"Mel told me about Tommy," Kevin said with a slow nod.

"And you didn't learn anything from that?" Jaeger asked, his whiskers twitching in disbelief.

"I mean, I _think_ she told me about him," Kevin replied, his nose wrinkling as he thought about it. "But, she didn't use his name. First Green Ranger, right?"

"Mmm, I can see why," Jaeger said with a nod. "Tommy went through this a lot, but he went on to become a great Ranger. What you need to learn is that, stuff like that, it doesn't just affect you; it affects everybody. I don't know if you heard the Green Candle story, but Jason, the first Red Ranger, I don't think he ever truly forgot about it. When it came down to it, he put it at the back of his mind to help out his team, but he uses it to help himself, not to hold himself down."

"Which is what I'm trying to do—"

"Right, because snapping at my mistress is really helping you out," Jaeger replied, rolling his eyes.

Kevin gave him an odd look. "Your…_mistress_?"

"Yeah, Mel hates it when I call her that," Jaeger explained with an odd shrug of his shoulders. "How I was brought up in the Elemental World; you refer to the person you're guarding as 'Master' or 'Mistress' to show your respect for them." An odd cat-like smile came to his face. "However, I've become good friends with Mel for a while now, so…"

"You mentioned that Mel and I had something in common," Kevin spoke up.

"Yeah, whenever Mel is possessed, or taken over, or whatever you want to call it, by her powers, she loses total control of her body," Jaeger replied, a serious edge to his tone. "She knows everything that she's doing, and like you, she can't stop herself. Unfortunately, her powers are also mainly linked to her emotions. You know what depression is, right?"

"Yeah," both Mia and Kevin replied in unison.

"It's like worse than that for Mel when she gets sad or upset about something," Jaeger replied. "You must've noticed by now that she seems to have a wall built up. It's not because she doesn't like you guys or anything, it's just to keep her emotions in check. It mainly stays on anger and sadness; the angrier she gets the more of her powers she uses, the quicker it is for her to be possessed, and the sadder she gets, the more vulnerable she is, and the quicker it is for her to be possessed."

Mia sucked in a sharp intake of breath. "So, it' a lose-lose situation for her."

"Precisely," Jaeger said with a nod. "That's not me justifying what she did in the last fight. I'm pretty disappointed in her as well, but she _was _backed into a corner. I don't know how I would've handled things if it was me." He then looked Kevin in the eye.

"Don't write her off just because of that. I know you guys have had tension since she got into the house, but being a Ranger is the most important thing to her. I'm not trying to defend her but she's worked her ass off since she got here despite problems at home, which I'm not going to get into, as well as personal problems with her powers. Just don't give up on her, she's been known to do some unbelievable things."

He blinked. "Ok, I guess I _am _defending her. But, don't think she's a bad person just because you saw her do one selfish thing. I know Mel; she's the most selfless person I know; she puts everybody and anybody before herself, all the time." He let out a heavy sigh. "It's just…there are things you need to ask her yourself to really understand why she acts the way she does. I know you know about her family and everything, but there's even more baggage than that. And I admire her for having all that and still walking around with a smile on her face."

"I had no idea," Mia said with a shake of her head.

"And you wouldn't," Jaeger replied with another odd shoulder shrug. "Mel hates it when people feel sorry for her." He licked a forepaw and ran it over his face.

"I guess, why this botehrs me so much...is because no matter what, Mel will always have the risk of her powers taking her over," Kevin slowly explained to Mia, figuring things out himself as he went. "As for me, it happened once, but I want to make sure it won't happen again. I need to be stronger, faster..._something._"

"Kevin," Mia said in a sad tone, shaking her head.

Jaeger noticed the sudden shift in moods and tried to change that. "Anyway; there's only so much advice I can give you about how to handle what you went through; but—" He suddenly tensed, the hair on his back sticking straight up. His eyes darted around, and a low growl rumbled in his throat. Mia and Kevin exchanged wide eyed looks. "There's a Nighlok—"

Jaeger stopped short, whipping his head around when a orange cat streaked through the yard and over to Mia, grabbing the abandoned fish. Jaeger let out a loud caterwaul and catapulted at the orange cat, landing on its back. The orange cat pulled away hissing at Jaeger, a fierce look on its face. The orange cat arched its back, taking a swipe at Jaeger's face before grabbing the abandoned fish, jumping off the bench to run into the bushes, with Jaeger barreling after it.

"What was that?" Mia asked, a look of shock and amusement on her face as he got to her feet.

Kevin shook his head. "I don't know, but he was saying something about a Nighlok before he ran off," Kevin replied seconds before back door was pushed open. Melody stuck her head out into the backyard.

"Nighlok attack," she announced seconds before the Gap Sensor started blaring. "Down near the edge of town."

"Sometimes it scare me how they can do that," Kevin said with a shake of his head. "Where's Jayden?"

"He's coming," Melody replied, glancing back over her shoulder, seconds before she moved to the side, allowing Jayden to rush by her and out the door. "Be careful guys."

"Thanks for the talk, Mia," Kevin said, tossing his shinai aside, getting to his feet. Mia jumped to her feet and quickly stood on her tip toes giving him a kiss on the cheek. Kevin's eyes widened and a smile formed and disappeared on his face, repeatedly. Kevin wanted to smile, but the threat of the Nighlok needed his attention. "What was that for?"

"You don't have to go through this alone you know," she replied, giving him a warm smile. "I'm your training partner, but I'm also your friend, and I'm here for you."

"Thanks."

"Uh, guys?" Melody called out, eyebrows raised, waving her hand in the air. "Jayden's not going to defeat the Nighlok by himself."

"Right," Kevin replied with a nod before he and Mia hurried after Jayden.

* * *

"Thanks for coming with me, Mike," Emily said with a warm smile, sliding her hands into the back pockets of her jeans shorts. "I really appreciate it."

"No worries, Em," Mike said, spinning the car keys around his finger, using his free arm to give her a one-armed hug. "I like spending time with you."

"You do?" Emily asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Of course," Mike replied with a shrug. He then gave a smile. "Why so shocked? You're awesome, Em."

Emily shyly looked down towards her shoes. "Thanks, but…I never really had anyone to talk to at home, so—" she trailed off, feeling herself flush in embarrassment. "I mean…I had my parents, and Serena, and the animals. Not that I talk to animals, but I mean, I kind of do. They're just great listeners, ya know?" She bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't have a lot of friends at home, so…I'm still getting used to people _wanting_ to hang out with me."

"Like I said, Em, you're awesome," Mike repeated, the smile never leaving his face. "And you don't have to worry about your life back home, now. _We're _your friends. And we like hanging out with you." His smile then faded as a look of horror crossed his face. He knew how important her sister, Serena was to her, and he had basically told her to forget about her and her sickness. "I'm sorry, Em! I didn't mean—"

"I knew what you meant, it's ok," Emily said, giving Mike a look of reassurance, placing a hand on his arm before quickly pulling it back. "And you know, you're pretty awesome yourself."

"Really?" Mike asked, an amused look crossing his face. He gave her a macho grin, puffing out his chest and she giggled. "I mean, I always thought so, but I'm glad others do too."

"You're funny," Emily commented and Mike seemed to deflate in front of her.

"No, seriously," he said, the laughter from his face now gone. "I make a lot of jokes and stuff because I want to beat people to the punch, I guess. I mean, I'm just an avid video gamer. I didn't have a lot of friends at school either. My two best friends, Reese, and Seth, and I were known to be the biggest gamers in our school. This, by the way, wasn't the coolest thing." He gave a shrug. "I used to play basketball, but I got fouled pretty hard one day and my shoulder hasn't been the same since. While I was recovering, I played a lot of games."

"Who cares what they think?" Emily asked with a slight frown. "What matters is that you're a Ranger, and you're keeping the city safe. That's more important than anyone else's opinions about you." She stopped, thinking for a moment, and caught the smile on Mike's face as he continued after her. "Did you make that up?"

"Actually, no," Mike replied, turning around to face her as he started walking backwards. "But, I needed to think of something to finally get you to understand what I've been trying to tell you all this time." His smile got wider. "Who cares if you're a klutz, Em? And who cares if people bullied you back home? You've really grown up while you've been here; we've all noticed. What's important is our mission and what you think of yourself."

Mike let out a gasp as his foot caught the metal pole of a tent, losing his balance and falling hard on his back, nearly knocking the whole thing over. Emily cringed, hurrying over to her friend. "I'm ok," he groaned, immediately seeing the worry on her face. He gave a short wave to the owner of the tent, who started to straighten the tent back up, frowning. "Sorry, dude."

"Did you hit your head?" Emily asked, reaching out a hand to feel the back of his head for any bumps. Mike briefly closed his eyes at the contact.

"Nah, Em, I'm fine," he replied, gently grabbing her hand, pulling it away from his head. He looked into her eyes and gave a smile. "Really."

"If you're sure," she replied quietly.

"I am," Mike replied, just as quiet, never taking his eyes off her.

"Hey, guys, over here!" Antonio's voice reached their ears, instantly getting their attention. Emily gave Mike's hand a hard pull and helped him to his feet before quickly dropping it, making her way over to his table.

"What a beautiful day for a picnic," she said as she dropped into one of the seats at the small table. She quickly glanced at Mike as he sat down opposite of her, before turning her attention back to Antonio. "Smells good."

"Thanks for inviting us, Antonio," Mike said with a grin, spinning his chair around so he back rest pressed against his chest.

"No problem," Antonio replied, unwrapping a bag of hamburger buns. "I'm just glad Jayden and Mentor said I could still come out here, today." He reached for a condiment bottle and started squeezing the contents onto a hamburger bun. "Anyway, it'll be _your _pleasure once you taste my Habanero Hollandaise Herring Burger."

"Have you had a lot of customers?" Emily asked, watching as he moved to the grill to get the fish that was cooking.

"Yeah, and they're all enjoying it," Antonio replied, patting his pocket, which now that Mike and Emily looked at, looked a little bigger. "It's been pretty sweet."

"Can't wait to try it, I'll try anything once," Mike replied before arching an eyebrow. "I mean, anything Mia hasn't cooked." Antonio and Emily laughed. "Can I help with something?"

"No, that's—" Antonio trailed off with a frown, glancing at a spot over Mike's shoulder. Mike turned and saw an African American male on his knees, holding his hands up to his chest in an odd fashion. "What is up with that guy?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement and turned just in time to see someone get on their hand and knees, staring straight ahead.

"Maybe they're just doing yoga," Mike suggested.

"Never seen yoga moves like that before," Emily muttered with a shake of her head. She looked around the area and saw that everybody was standing or sitting or kneeling in awkward poses. They weren't saying anything and their eyes were lifeless. "Guys, I think there's something wrong."

"You go check on them," Mike said, point in the direction Emily was facing. "I'll go check on the peeps over here."

"You've got it," Emily replied with a nod before hurrying off.

But there wasn't anything either of them could do. Everyone was frozen and seemed to be in a trance. They didn't respond to shouts or hits, or anything. Mike and Emily soon found that Antonio was the same way as he lay on his side on the ground. Mike checked his pulse and found it to be normal, but he couldn't figure out what was going on. Only when he heard a cruel laugh did he figure it out. It was a Nighlok.

Both Mike and Emily quickly morphed, careful not to be spotted by the Nighlok before charging into battle against him. Emily summoned her Earth Slicer and threw it at the Nighlok as he attacked an Asian girl, who seemed to fold in on herself. She muttered a curse when her attack missed, but she had gotten the Nighlok's attention.

"Go help those people," Mike said, putting his left hand on her shoulder, using his right hand to grasp his Spin Sword, holding it over his shoulder, "I've got this."

Emily nodded before hurrying over to the non-moving citizens of Panorama City. She checked one before hurrying to another, and another, but got the same result. "Just like the others," she announced. "They're in a trance or something."

"What'd you do to all of them?" Mike demanded, pointing the tip of his Spin Sword at the Nighlok. "Wake them up."

"Hmmm," the Nighlok pretended to think. "I don't think so."

"I said, wake them _up_," Mike shouted before he charged the Nighlok. The Nighlok blocked Mike and Emily's attack with his double bladed weapon. The two fought hard against the Nighlok, but he easily outmatched them, knocking them off their feet with a stinging swipe to the chest with one of his blades.

"Too easy," the Nighlok laughed before a part of the Nighlok, which resembled a tentacle, shot towards Emily.

"Emily, look out!" Mike cried, reaching for her. But before anything could happen, Mia and Kevin appeared, stopping the Nighlok's attack in its track as Jayden appeared behind him, aiming for a surprise attack from above. Unfortunately, the Nighlok turned in just the right time to dodge Jayden's attack.

"I think it's time for a change," the Nighlok growled before striking Jayden in the chest, causing him to stumbled back as he grabbed his chest in pain. The tentacle shot forward again, striking Jayden in the chest, paralyzing him. "Switch Blast."

A ball of fire was shot out of the Nighlok's mouth and hit the ground, exploding in front of the other Ranger's feet, stopping them from coming to Jayden's rescue. In a flash of gold light, Jayden de-morphed, an arm coming up to pause in the air in a weird stance.

"Jayden," Mia shouted as they all rushed over to him. She spotted the odd look on his face and shook his shoulder. "Jayden, answer me!"

"He's just like everyone else," Emily whispered, her eyes widening behind her helmet. She grabbed his shoulders, shaking him hard. "Jayden, _wake up_."

"There's nothing we can do," Mike said, putting a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see where the Nighlok went, and his eyes narrowed when he saw him walking over to a gnome. _What's he got against a lawn gnome_?

"You've done it again," the Nighlok said congratulating himself as he lifted his double-ended spear into the air. "Just one blow and the Red Ranger is history."

"_No_!" Mike shouted, sprinting over to where the Nighlok was. He let out a breath of relief when he got there in enough time to stop the Nighlok from smashing the gnome to pieces. He let out a grunt of pain when the Nighlok lifted its foot, slamming it hard into his stomach, before he turned and faced off against Kevin and Mia.

That fight didn't last long either as they were soon hit by the Nighlok's firey attack, throwing them across the clearing and into a pile of boxes and junk. As the dust settled around them, the Nighlok switched them with some unseen objects. Emily rushed towards the Nighlok, but he easily jumped away from her.

"Damn!" the Nighlok muttered, his cackle turning into a groan of pain. "I'm drying out already!" Before Mike and Emily could do anything else, he disappeared into a Gap.

"Shit!" Mike wheezed, slamming the ground with his fist. Emily hurried to his side and for the second time that day, helped him to his feet. The two of them de-morphed, looking at each other with wide eyes, breathing heavily. "Em, I think we're in trouble."

..

.

"_Ji_?" Mike's worried tone came out of Mentor's Samuraizer. Melody set her book aside, peering up at Mentor when she heard her friend's voice. "_Uh, we kind of need your help…_"

"I'll send Jaeger to help," Melody asked with a frown as her eyes glowed a deep purple. Mentor nodded and relayed the information to Mike. "How bad is it?"

Minutes later, she got her answer. Mia, Kevin, Antonio, and Jayden's bodies were all brought into the house along with a fan, a gnome, a plate with a fish on it, and a music box with a spinning ballerina. Mike quickly explained to them what happened in the battle and Mike's thoughts about what happened to their friends.

Emily walked over to the gnome and stared at him curiously. She tapped his hat with her fingernail and said, "Do you think they're awake in there?" She started waving her hand in front of the eyes of the gnome.

"So this Nighlok, switches peoples' spirits into objects," Mentor said allowed. "Mel, you find anything yet?" She was pacing back and forth, flipping through the pages of one of the books from the archives. It had a list of all the Nighlok that had been sighted over the years. If they had been defeated, a large, red check was placed by it.

"I'm still looking," Melody replied, briefly glancing up at him. "So, explain to me one more time what happens?"

"Like Mentor said, the Nighlok switches peoples' spirits into objects," Emily replied, straightening from her squatting position. "And then the victims' bodies take the shape of the object." She sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "I don't know what to do."

"So the monster tried to smash the gnome," Mike said as he started pacing, tapping his chin, "but, that was right after he switched Jayden into it." He raised his eyebrows. "I think if the object gets destroyed…the person does, too."

"So…they die?" Jaeger asked, speaking up for the first time. He was moving from person to person, trying to see if he could at least alter their body shapes into something else, but they kept springing back into the formation of the object they had turned into.

"All those people," Emily said with a shake of her head. "We have to save them."

"How are you going to do that if you can't figure out what they all turned into?" Melody asked, looking up from the book again.

"It's worse than that," Mike said with a frown. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, pressed a few buttons before turning it around, showing her the screen. Melody's eyes widened when she realized that Bulk and Spike were in the picture. "Your friends got hit too."

"We have to try and figure out something," Emily said, placing a hand on Mike's shoulder. "We can't give up."

"Who said anything about giving up?" Mike asked in reply. "Mel's on probation but Jaeger can still fight. It's up to us three now."

"Perhaps if you defeat the Nighlok, then everyone will be free," Mentor Ji commented, snapping his fingers.

"As is the resolution from any monster I've faced," Melody said with a nod. "It's worth a shot." She then chewed on her bottom lip. "But, what if nothing happens once we do?" She waved the book in her hands. "Until I can find something in here, I think we should keep in mind that there's a possibility we have to have the Nighlok return everybody to their bodies _before _we destroy him."

"Then we'll have to train hard," Emily said, brushing her hair behind her ears. "Until the Nighlok returns."

"Sounds like a plan," Mike agreed with a nod. "Let's just hope that's sooner rather than later." He then crossed his arms over his chest. "In the meantime, we need to come up with a plan to make sure _we _don't get changed too."

"Before we do all that, I think we can have some fun with this," Melody said, nodding towards her friends. She saw the warning look on Mentor's face and she widened her eyes in innocence. "What?"

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry, guys! I had this typed up a while ago. I thought I had already posted it. Anyway, sorry for the delay, but that's the ninth chapter!

**~MysticMelody101~**


	10. Chapter 10: Trading Places

**.:Chapter Ten – Trading Places:.**

* * *

"And there's nothing else about the Nighlok that stood out to you?" Melody asked Emily, letting out a sigh of annoyance. The Nighlok hadn't returned to the city that night, and while Mike, Emily, Melody, and Mentor all tried to find out how to reverse their friends faster than destroying the Nighlok. She set the book she held in her hands, down, and reached for the piece of toast that was next to her. "What he looked like? His name? Anything?"

"Sorry," Emily said with a frown, reaching for her cup of juice. "It all happened so fast and I was worried—"

"All I know is that he switched everybody's spirits into the object their body takes the shape of," Mike interrupted, setting his cup of juice down onto the table with a loud clack. "I was up all night trying to think of what to do, but I came up with nothing."

"You?" Melody deadpanned, arching an eyebrow. "You were _thinking_?" She gave Mike a small smile to show that she was joking, but the serious look didn't leave his face. "What's on your mind, dude?"

"Nothing, it's just…with both Jayden and Kevin down, I should step up as the leader," Mike replied, turning to face her. Emily and Mentor exchanged glances. "You know I'm right and who else is going to do it?"

Emily cleared her throat. "Well, Mel is—"

"Mel is benched, so it doesn't matter," Melody reminded her. "Mike's right. We, _you_, need a leader. I can still train and everything until I can fight again but right now, he's the best we've got."

"I know I'm always cracking jokes and everything, but I can do this." Mike said to Emily. "We'll get our friends back, don't worry." _I hope_.

"That's not what I'm worried about," Emily quietly replied, shifting her attention to the cereal bowl in front of her. She took a few bites before pushing the bowl away from her. "Mel, you said you needed my help this morning?"

"Yeah," Melody replied with a nod. "I can only go through books so fast."

"No problem," Emily replied, getting up to put her dishes in the sink. "I'll go check on everyone; make sure they're ok."

"I'm going to change, and then I'll be training outside," Mike said, leaving some of his breakfast untouched as well.

"I've never seen Mike so responsible before," Melody commented once her friend was out of ear shot.

"Neither have I," Mentor replied, staring at the spot Mike had just left, "He's come a long way since he joined the team. I knew it was only a matter of time until we saw his maturity start to shine through."

"I wouldn't say he's _that_ mature," Emily said, appearing in the doorway. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, trying hard not to smile. "You need to see what he did." She then trained her eyes on Melody. "And I assume you helped him?"

Melody just shrugged, grabbing the book off the table to follow the two of them into the common room. Mentor stopped short when he saw what was in front of him. Kevin was wearing a pink, frilly tutu, with a tiara, and Jayden had a Santa hat on his head, and a mustache and beard combo which looked like it was drawn on with white-out.

"Now, what I'm trying to figure out, is why only Kevin and Jayden?" Emily asked turning towards Melody, who was trying to look innocent by flipping through the pages of the book in her hands.

"Do you know how hard it is to be punny with a fan and a fish?" she asked, glancing up from the book, giving Mentor a sheepish grin when she spotted the annoyed look on his face. "Because it was funny, and they both need to learn how to lighten up." She then let out a sigh turning towards Emily. "Not only that, but Mike saw how worried you were getting and was trying to get you to smile."

"It _is_ pretty funny," Emily said, finally allowing herself to smile, and let out a short giggle at the sight in front of her. "You think we'll ever find out what we need about that Nighlok?"

"It's hard to say," Mentor replied with a frown. "I've never seen this Nighlok before. It's possible a previous Samurai team has fought them, but I haven't recognized a handful of the past ones you've fought."

"So, there's a chance that they could _not_ be in the archives?" Melody asked, turning towards him. "What do we do, then?"

"Keep searching," Mentor said with a heavy sigh. "We'll figure something out."

"The Nighlok won't stay in the Netherworld for too long," Emily replied, brushing her hair behind her ears. "We'll have to think of something soon or he'll start destroying all the objects the people have turned into. It'll be a matter of time before he searches or the Rangers."

"Even if he does come here, which is highly unlikely, we have the spells set up around the Shiba House to ward off the Nighlok," Mentor replied, clasping his hands behind his back. "Plus, I've sent Jaeger out to patrol the area, just in case."

"Hopefully, he doesn't get distracted by the stray cat," Melody added, speaking more to herself than to Emily and Mentor. "It's been around for a while; I don't think it's eaten in the past few days."

"I've tried symbol power last night," Mentor continued as if Melody didn't say anything, "and even that won't switch them back."

Melody's eyes suddenly lit up. "Switch," she repeated. "That's it! Mentor, what's the Japanese word or 'switch' or 'alter' or 'to change' something like that? And do you think you could draw the symbol for me?"

"You have an idea on how to figure out what the Nighlok is?" Emily asked as Mentor hurried out of the room to get some paper.

"I have a hunch, but keep your fingers crossed," Melody replied with a nod, motioning for the Yellow Ranger to follow her out of the room. They went into Mentor's office, where they found him quickly jotting down what she had asked him for. "I'm going to need your help as well. I've searched in the first two books, but I need your help looking through the others."

"What if we don't find anything?" Emily asked with a frown.

"You two are just going to have to do the best you can, then," Mentor replied, handing Melody the sheet of paper. Melody glanced at it, mouthing the word to herself a few times before tracing the kanji with her finger tip. "You and Mike are great Samurai; you'll think of something."

"You don't think Mike can do it?" Melody asked as she started pulling books off of Mentor's shelves. Emily did the same, shaking her head.

"No, I believe in him," she reassured the two of them, "and I know he can do it too. It's just; he gets really hard on himself when he has a lot of pressure on him and—"

"If it's one thing I've learned from my friends in times like this, it's to not dwell on the negative," Melody interrupted her. "If you believe Mike can do it, then he can do it. It'll be hard, no doubt, but—" she trailed off when her hand hit the air."We're missing a book."

"But, we always keep the books in here," Emily said with a frown. A few seconds passed and a look of realization crossed her face. "Maybe Kevin had it last. He always borrows books from the archives for 'light' reading." She disappeared from the room for a few moments as Melody continued to pull books off the shelves, tucking them under her chin as she tried to hold them all.

"So, what's your plan?" Mentor asked, motioning to take some of the books from her.

"Find every entry with this word, or the kanji, by it in each of these books," Melody explained, passing some books to him. "I don't know what the Nighlok looks like, but Emily does. Once she sees it, she'll be able to point it out to us."

"Good idea," Mentor replied with a nod.

Moments later, Emily slowly came back into the room, a frown on her face, holding a book in her hand. "Found it," she said quietly.

"Find the book or find the Nighlok?" Melody asked, dropping the books in her arms to the floor, hurrying over to her. "I'll clean this up later, Mentor."

"Both," Emily replied. "Guys…we missed Kevin's birthday. It was in October, before mine."

"No offense Emily, but I don't really see how that's important right now," Melody said as she gently pulled the book from the Yellow Ranger's hands. She flipped the page open to the spot where Emily had her thumb. "Switchbeast?"

"Let me see it," Mentor Ji replied, offering his hand to take the book from her.

"I know it's not important right now, but…it's kind of sad, I mean, everyone should celebrate their birthday," Emily said, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets. "I guess I just never knew how seriously Kevin took his training." _And how I really need to step up with mine._ _Serena would be so far ahead of me at this point. I can't let her down. _"So I was thinking, once everything goes back to normal and calms down a little, we could throw him a party. I mean, it'd be way late but I was thinking we could go to the local gym and have a pool party."

"That's actually a great idea, Em," Melody said with a grin. "Summer's coming up, so he must be missing swimming a lot right now, especially because he had to miss his shot at the Olympics to come here."

"And like I said to Jayden before, it's good to have balance in your life," Mentor said as he skimmed the pages of the book. "He deserves to blow off some steam every now and then. I know that Samurai training is important to him; but I can't help but wonder if he's starting to forget that he was someone before being a Samurai."

"Ji, what does the book say?" Melody asked, rubbing at her forehead. "If we don't get Kevin back into his body he, for sure, will forget who he was before becoming a Samurai."

"Switchbeast is a cat-like Nighlok," Mentor Ji read aloud as he started to pace around the room, "Able to fire orbs from his mouth, in an attack called Switchblast, Switchbeast possesses the power to switch people's souls with anything but he chooses to switch them with inanimate objects." Mentor stopped pacing and frowned as he read the last sentence. "Once the humans are switched into inanimate objects, Switchbeast destroys the objects, thus destroying the human body."

"Which would allow the Sanzu River water to rise because everybody would be…dead," Melody finished in a quiet voice.

"That's sick," Emily groaned, putting a hand to her stomach. "Now, it's _really_ important that we defeat that Nighlok." She let out a breath of air and brushed her hair behind her ears. "Looks like all Mike and I can do is train as hard as we can to have a shot against the Nighlok."

"You have Jaeger too, don't forget," Melody reminded her as she started to put the books back on the shelves.

"I'll go tell Mike what we found out," Emily offered before turning and leaving the room.

"This must be hard for you," Ji commented as soon as Emily was out of ear shot.

"Yeah, no kidding," Melody said with a small laugh, juggling an armful of books, "But, I deserve it and I take full responsibility for my actions." She was silent for a moment before turning back towards Mentor. "I know I can't leave the house or anything, but I think I know a way to help while I'm here; besides looking up Nighlok in the archive. It'd help everybody else with their training, too."

"I'm listening," Mentor Ji replied, raising his eyebrows.

* * *

Emily paused in the back doorway of the Shiba House, watching as Mike trained. He hadn't been practicing for long, but he had worked up a good sweat while he was out there. She had never seen him work so hard before. When they were normally training both she and Mike had fun with what they were doing, making little games and bets out of the activities. Jayden wasn't too happy about it at first, thinking they were just distracting each other, but he quickly found that they had improved greatly and worked well with each other.

Mike gave her a good fight and a good work-out, never going easy on her like everyone else sometimes did as they were worried they were going too fast or her, or was worried they were going to hurt her. Mike was the only one that truly understood the skill she had and the skill that she needed to have to be a great Samurai. There was something about him that made it so easy for her to tell him about Serena. She knew she could trust him.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you practicing by yourself," she commented, stepping out in the backyard. Mike stumbled for a moment when he suddenly heard her voice, but caught his balance, turning around to face her, giving a half shrug. "You're really into this."

"It's also been a while since I've tried taking on a Nighlok by myself," Mike agreed, lowering his shinai as he made his way over to the bench. Emily beat him to it, grabbing the green towel off the bench as he sat down. She dabbed at a few spots on his face before handing him the towel. "Thanks, Em." He reached for his water bottle and squirted a long stream into his mouth, swallowing. "Besides, it's easy to defeat a Nighlok, but trying to convince it to do what we want?" He let out a low whistle. "Next to impossible."

"We've found the Nighlok in the archives," Emily said, moving to sit beside him, "his name is Switchbeast."

"Fitting name," Mike said with a snort.

Emily silently nodded, peering at the Green Ranger for a moment. She was surprised to see him so serious; he was always the goofball, cracking jokes even in dire situations. She often wondered if it helped him cope with things that were too hard, but never asked. She knew that both Kevin and Mike worked hard to beat, or even be like Jayden, but she knew that Mike didn't want to be a leader; he just wanted to be as skilled as the Red Ranger. Mike was always too quick to irritation at somebody else falling behind, or getting things wrong, or asking too many questions to even think about being a leader, but at the same time, he was always kicking himself for doing the exact same thing he hated other people doing.

"We have to train hard," Mike said, filling the silence between them. He draped his towel over his neck, letting it sit there for a moment before running it over his hair. "We have to get our friends back. I'm not making the same mistake I did last time I fought a Nighlok alone."

"I remember when you fought that long-armed Nighlok," Emily spoke up, allowing a smile to come to her face. "You did great." And she meant it. She was impressed with how he had handled the situation. She saw firsthand how tough it was to see his friends get hurt, and to know they were that close but couldn't associate with them. _That must be how Mel feels. How would I feel if I knew Serena was around? Would I leave too?_

Mike gave a quick smile of thanks before shaking his head, setting his jaw. "I did lousy," he replied, removing the towel from his head, balling it up between his hands. "I would've had my ass handed to me if Jayden didn't have my back."

"We _all_ had your back, Mike," Emily replied, clicking her tongue, "that's what friends do for each other. Jayden _did _help you, but you were the real star that day. Remember? _You _were the one that figured out how to beat him." She then gently punched him on the arm. "Besides, you won't be by yourself. You have me; and you always will. We'll figure this out."

Mike let out a groan of frustration. "Jayden would have figured this out by now," he growled, "Or Kevin, or Mia, or…"

"Last time I checked you weren't Jayden," Emily said, placing a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, "_or _Kevin, _or _Mia. You're you; you're Mike."

"It's just…" Mike trailed off, pressing his lips together. He let out a breath of air, turning to face her. "What happened to the others, I can't let that happen to you, Em. I'd hate myself if anything happened."

"Mia _did_ say you went pretty postal when I had my spirit taken from the Nighlok," Emily commented, glancing down at her lap before looking back up at him.

"It's like I said; you're the heart of the team, Em," Mike explained, "I couldn't do anything then to help you, but I know I can protect you now. I don't want to see you hurt, not again."

A smile tugged at Emily's lips as she clasped her hands in her lap. She glanced down towards the ground before looking up at Mike again, locking eyes with him. "Nothing's going to happen to me," she replied, her smile getting wider. "We'll beat this Nighlok together."

"Right," Mike replied in a low voice, shifting in his seat to angle his body towards her. "Together." He leaned towards her…and then Jayden's words popped into his head: "_Most importantly, there are to be no romantic entanglements between Rangers_." Mike paused, his eyes widening slightly and jumped to his feet.

"Right," he said, turning to face her, "I should, um, get back to training."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Emily replied with a nod, getting to her feet, trying to mask her frown. _What did you think was going to happen? Why are you frowning?_ She cleared her throat. "One thing though; I saw what you did to Kevin." She giggled when Mike instantly started to chuckle. "When he gets back into his body, you _know_ he's going to kill you, right?"

"But what a way to go out, huh?" Mike asked with a grin, "Death by laughter." He shook his head as his laughter died down.

Emily chuckled as she went back into the Shiba House. Her smile quickly turned into a frown as her face twisted at the horrible smell that invaded her nose. "_Ugh_," she groaned, pinching her nostrils shut. "Mentor, what's that _smell_?" There was the sound of footsteps and Mentor Ji and Melody walked into the room, searching for Emily, wondering what she was talking about. It didn't take them too long to figure it out.

"It's worse than Mike's socks," Melody commented, sticking out her tongue, waving her hand in the air in front of her nose.

"I have a hunch," Mentor commented, making his way out of the room. He came back a moment later carrying the plate of fish, nodding as the two girls let out louder shrieks of disgust as the smell got worse. "We forgot to put Antonio in the fridge over night. He must be spoiling; I'll put him in the refrigerator."

Before he could take two steps, the Gap Sensor went off, causing everyone to jump and Mentor to nearly drop the plate in his hands. He handed the plate to Melody, who hurried into the kitchen, setting the plate down onto the island before she joined Mentor and Emily in the living room, hovering over the oak table and the map of the city.

"Nighlok's finally shown his face again," Emily reported, staring at the spot for a moment, memorizing where it was before heading towards the back door. "I'll get Mike."

"No need," Mike said as he rushed in, breathing heavily "Besides, I've got an idea. Let's go, Em."

"Wait," Mentor said, stopping the two Rangers in their tracks. He reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out the Black Box. "Before you go, I want you to have this."

"The Black Box?" Mike asked, losing the look of determination and adopting fear and confusion onto his face. He reached out with a shaky hand, grasping the talisman. "I'm not sure I can handle this."

"You can do it, Mike," Mentor Ji replied quietly. "I know you can. We all do."

"Show 'em how Super Green rolls, dude," Melody said, holding up a fist to bump his with it. "You said you had a plan? Let's see how it works out with a little extra power."

"Alright, but it's pretty risky and a little bit crazy," Mike said with a shake of his head, looking towards Emily, silently wondering if she'd go along with it.

"Sounds like a Mike plan," Emily said in a sing-song voice. "What is it?"

"Hold on," Melody said, putting up a hand to stop Mike as he opened his mouth to explain. He jogged to the back door, pushing the sliding door open and let out a shrill whistle. Moments later, Jaeger arrived in the backyard, his wings folding against his back as he instantly transformed from his lion form back into a human, a look of worry on his face. "We've got trouble; and Mike's got a plan."

"Trouble and Mike go hand in hand," Jaeger commented, following Melody into the house. "I'm all ears."

"Ok, Mel, I'm going to need to borrow your soccer ball," Mike announced, turning towards the Purple Ranger. Melody gave him an odd look. "I told you it was crazy."

* * *

"Ahhh, they're playing my favorite song!" Switchbeast laughed as the screams from the citizens of Panorama City reached his ears. His laughter turned into a growl when he heard rapid footsteps behind him shortly followed by a loud, "So, you like music, do you?" Switchbeast spun around on his heel to face Mike and Emily as the two Rangers glared down at him from the top of a set of stairs.

"Then let's dance," Mike said, his hands curling into fists. The two Rangers quickly morphed, drawing their Spin Swords as they flipped in the air, swinging it down towards Switchbeast, who blocked the attack with his double ended spear. Switchbeast swung his arm back, throwing the two Rangers behind him.

"Thought you could catch me off guard, huh?" he asked, stabbing Mike in the middle of the chest with one of his tentacles. He laughed when Mike let out a loud scream of pain. "Let's switch you with something nice and easy to smash, Greenie." Switchbeast shot out his second tentacle, but before he could switch Mike with an inanimate object, Emily grabbed onto the tentacle, turned and raced towards him, stabbing himself in the chest, causing the Nighlok and the Ranger to switch bodies.

"What the hell?" Switchbeast, now in Mike's body, asked as he looked at his hands. "What did you guys do to me?"

"Alright, my plan worked," Mike cheered, turning to slap Emily a high five. "Ok, Mr. Nighlok, now that you've had a taste of your own medicine, how about you tell us how to switch everyone back?" The Nighlok in the Green Ranger's body just laughed, shaking his head.

"Tell us the secret, or you're going to get it," Emily threatened, pointing the tip of her blade at him.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm in _his _body now," Switchbeast growled, pointing at his own body. "As much damage as you inflict on this body, _if _we switch back, your boyfriend here is going to feel it."

Emily gasped, lowering her arm, turning towards Mike. The Nighlok beside her was barely moving. "I hadn't thought of that," Mike muttered, shaking his head. He then pointed a menacing finger at his own body. "I don't care! I'm getting everybody back."

"That's very noble of you, but I think I can get you to change your mind," Switchbeast said, turning his blade towards the Green Ranger's neck. "Back off, or Greenie gets it. I'll be taking my own life, but that's one Ranger down and enough tears to flood this planet."

"Oh? You don't like my body?" Mike asked as Emily flipped open her Samuraizer. "Then we'll put you somewhere else."

"Now, Mel," Emily cried into the phone like device.

"_You've got it_."

A portal opened up above Emily's head and out dropped a metallic purple soccer ball. Emily caught it in her hands and Mike jabbed Switchbeast in the chest with one of his tentacles, pressing the second one to the soccer ball. In front of his eyes, Mike's body folded over, curling in on itself to make a ball. He then let out a shrill whistle and Jaeger appeared at her side. Emily handed the ball over to him.

"I wonder how hard I can kick this ball," he commented, tilting his head to the side before dropping the ball towards his feet. Bringing his leg back, he gave the soccer ball a hard kick. It bounced off a concrete wall with a loud _smack_ ricocheting back towards them. He stomped down hard on the top of the ball with his foot to stop it from moving and heard the Nighlok let out a groan of pain.

Emily bent down to pick up the ball, rolling it around in her hands. "You know, there's something wrong with this ball. It feels kind of mushy." She pressed on the ball as hard as she could with her hands, squeezing and squeezing…until Mike told her that they had made their point, and switched the Nighlok back into Mike's body.

The Nighlok stood up and wobbled around, rubbing at his chest, "Ugh, that was cruel!" He then wrapped an arm around his chest, doubling over. "I think you broke a rib!"

"Serves you right, you monster!" Emily shouted.

"Now, tell us how to switch everyone back or we'll _really _make your life miserable," Jaeger threatened. The Nighlok didn't reply, but continued to groan, holding his stomach. "Fine. Night Shade." A black/purple mist suddenly enveloped Mike's body. The Nighlok dropped to his knees, groaning and screaming, holding his head. "Tell us how to change everyone back."

Emily looked over at Jaeger in shocked. She had never seen him cause someone so much pain. A shiver went down her spine when she heard the Nighlok scream again. Jaeger looked so mad, like he really wanted to hurt him, like he was torturing him. His upper lip curled, revealing a row of sharp canines, and his eyes were narrowed into a harsh glare, his eyes looking almost black instead of its normal green color. She wanted to get Jaeger to stop, but knew this was the best way for the Nighlok to give in. She was just really worried about how Mike would feel once he got back into his own body.

"Alright, alright," the Nighlok choked out and Jaeger dropped his arm, the mist instantly disappearing. He got to his feet, gripping Mike's Spin Sword. "Hold completely still." He then suddenly charged, striking the Nighlok's body across the chest. Mike dropped to his knees, groaning in pain as a bright yellow orb slipped out of the gash in his chest, floating up into the air; where it split into smaller orbs, streaking across the sky. "Satisfied?"

"Ugh, yeah," Mike groaned, suddenly feeling blinding pain hit his body. His stomach rocked and his head throbbed. But, he swallowed thickly, focusing on the gloved hand that waved in his face. "I'm alright, Em. Really." He grinned behind his helmet. "It worked Em. It really worked."

"I knew you could do it," Emily said with a nod. Jaeger clapped Mike hard on the shoulder and Mike's knees nearly buckled. "Now, let him have it." She and Jaeger charged forward to attack the Nighlok, giving Mike time to transform.

"You got it," Mike replied, conjuring the Black Box. "Super Samurai Mode!" As soon as he transformed, Mike felt the power running through his body. He no longer felt any pain; he felt like he could do anything. "Damn, this is sick!" He attached the Black Box to his Spin Sword and gripped the weapon tightly in his hand. "Watch out guys; Super Forest Vortex!"

Mike struck the Nighlok, watching it blow to pieces in front of him. He barely broke a sweat and let out a low whistle of satisfaction as he glanced down at the Black Box that was attached to his sword. He felt a hit to his shoulder and turned towards Emily, giving her a hug.

"That was really super," she cried, practically bouncing on her toes. "Simply amazing, Mike."

"Don't celebrate too soon, guys," Jaeger said with a frown on his face. Emily looked over at her and saw that he now looked calm, and his eyes were their normal color. There was a loud whooshing sound and Switchbeast grew in front of their eyes. "Call it, Mike. We're right behind you."

"Super Samurai Combination," Mike called out, raising his Spin Sword to the sky to call for all of the zords to combine into the Claw Armor Megazord. It was like everything was coming as second nature to him; he knew exactly what he had to do. Once he transformed into his Super Mega Mode, he truly felt like he was making all of the right moves and was doing well as the leader.

"Let's get straight to the point and take him down," Mike said as they charged the Claw Armor Megazord forward. "I'm not in any mood for more games." Once they got close enough, the two of them removed the Mega Blade from its podium and flipped it open. To add more power to the final strike, Mike did what both Jayden and Kevin did before him and attached the Black Box to his Mega Blade.

"Double Katana Strike!" the two shouted, slicing the air in front of them with their Mega Blades. The Megazord did the same movement striking Switchbeast once…twice, defeating the Nighlok for good.

As soon as the fight was over, Mike felt his energy drain from his body and he dropped to his knees, the dull pain returning to his head. He had always wanted to use the Black Box, but he had no idea just how weak you got after using all the power. He barely had any energy left, but was able to turn towards Emily, breathing heavily.

"We did it…together," he breathed, "just like you said. Just the two of us."

"Three," Emily corrected him with a shake of her head. "You can't exclude Jaeger. But, we did do it." There was a pause and she said, "Let's never do that again."

"Agreed," Mike said with a nod. "Samurai Rangers—"

"Victory is ours," Emily finished for him.

Back at the Shiba House, Antonio let out a loud scream as he regained control of his body again. A chill went down his spine and his eyes were wide, un-focusing. There was the sound of rapid footsteps and Jayden, Kevin, Mia, and Melody all hovered over him, shouting over each other, trying to get him to calm down.

But, Antonio kept screaming and screaming. He jumped to his feet and ran out of the living room and into the kitchen. His eyes fell onto an orange cat that sat on the island, licking at the dead fish that sat on the plate and Antonio promptly fainted.

"What's going on?" Jayden asked, dropping to the ground beside his friend, shaking him, trying to keep him awake.

"Oh no!" Melody cried, reaching for the cat, lifting it off the table. "In my rush to hear Mike's plan when the Gap Sensor went off, I must've left the back door open."

"So…this cat just tried to _eat him_?" Mia asked, a hand flying to cover her mouth. "Poor Antonio."

"You mean, poor cat," Melody said, reaching towards the fish that was still lying around. The orange cat purred as Melody held the fish in front of its nose. "It's all skin and bones. I don't think it's eaten in a while."

"I think Antonio is more important than him," Kevin replied, moving to kneel beside Jayden. But the pink tutu suddenly stopped him. Mia started to laugh when Kevin realized he still had it on around his waist. He shuddered, tearing the thing off. "I wouldn't be laughing, _Santa_."

Jayden stopped in mid-laugh, using one hand to touch his face, the other reaching to pull the hat off his head as he hurried out the room. "_Mel_."

"Antonio," Mia said lightly slapping her friend's cheek. "Antonio, wake up."

Antonio's eyes fluttered and he groaned, moving to rub the back of his head. "What happened?" he asked, squinting up at Mia and Kevin. "Why does my head hurt?"

"You must've hit it when you fainted," Mia explained, moving her fingers along the back of his head. Antonio winced and Mia frowned. "You've got a pretty big bump. I'll go get you some ice."

"Ice," Antonio repeated, blinking a few times, "Ice is nice."

"Congratulations are in order for when Mike and Emily get back," Mentor announced, striding into the room, shortly followed by Jayden who was scrubbing at his face with a red wash cloth. "We should all celebrate with a barbecue."

"Can someone else do the cooking this time?" Antonio asked as Mia hurried over to his side, pressing a bag filled with ice to the back of his head. "I'm not really up for it." He then started to stretch his arms, frowning. "Man, I'm all stiff."

"I'd be glad to," Mentor offered with a smile. "You've all been through a lot these past couple of days."

A few hours later, everyone was sitting in the backyard, eating freshly grilled hamburgers and crispy French fries. Mike and Emily told everybody the story of how they defeated the Nighlok and Kevin shook his head, looking impressed.

"Switching bodies with the Nighlok?" he asked in disbelief. "I don't think I would've ever thought about that. Good call, Mike."

"Hey, a Ranger's got to do, what a Ranger's got to do," Mike said with a shrug, reaching for his glass of Hawaiian Punch. "It wasn't like I wanted to, and it was way creepy." He slowly lowered himself down onto the bench. "Besides, he did more damage to my body than I could've ever imagined."

"Maybe we should take you to the doctor," Mia suggested, a worried look crossing her face. "You said that Nighlok thinks that you broke a rib."

"I'm fine, Mia, really," Mike reassured her with a smile. "It just looks bad. Would've been worse if Emily wasn't there to help me out."

"I can't believe you guys took on a Nighlok by yourselves," Mia said, looking back and forth between the Green and Yellow Rangers. "_Just _the two of you." She gave Emily a knowing look. Emily briefly glanced at Mia, giving her a confused look before shaking her head.

"No, it was mostly Mike," she replied. "It was all his idea. I just went along with it."

"No way, we were a team," Mike replied quietly.

"Well, if it wasn't for you, I'd still be a gnome," Jayden said as he moved to sit down at the head of the table. "Mel, pass the ketchup?" Melody, who hadn't said a word for a while glared at Jayden before using one hand to pass him the ketchup bottle. Her other hand was sitting across her face. She was having a hard time trying to move her hamburger past her hand to eat, all the while trying to hide her face. "Something wrong?"

"Shut up," Melody instantly snapped in reply.

"Yeah, chica, what's up?" Antonio asked from where he sat across from her. "You've been quiet for a while; which is _really_ not like you."

Melody glared at Jayden again before dropping her hand, revealing a black mustache drawn on her face, curling up around her cheeks. She rolled her eyes as the Rangers burst out laughing. "It's not funny," she said with a pout before turning towards Jayden. "At least yours came off. I've scrubbed my face for ten minutes and _nothing_." Jayden was laughing to hard too answer. "It's _not funny_."

"Not as funny as this anyway," Mike said, flipping open his Samuraizer to show everybody his background picture of Kevin in a ballerina pose in his tutu. Kevin looked around, silently wondering what everyone was laughing at. He nearly choked on the bit of hamburger that sat in his mouth when he gasped. "So, you're not even mad about this?"

"You took _pictures_?" Kevin asked in shock before his features were set into a scowl. He reached for the phone but Mike pulled it away, jumping up from the table. "Give it to me, Mike."

"Dance for it, Ballet Boy," Mike taunted, staring to exaggerate ballerina moves. He danced away from Kevin's next lunge for the phone before taking off across the yard. His whole body ached, but he was laughing too hard to notice.

* * *

**A/N: **A lot of you were asking if I was going to have Melody switch with something in this chapter. But, since she's on probation and couldn't leave the house, and since the Nighlok can't get to the Shiba House because of the protective symbols around the property, that was impossible of me to do. BUT, I may later on write a one-shot where she does get switched. Don't know if I will, yet.

_One of the Guys II _will be updated at the earliest, Monday.

**~MysticMelody101~**


	11. Chapter 11: PTSD

**.:Chapter Eleven – PTSD:.**

* * *

Melody's eyes widened as she stared at the large bruises that covered Mike's chest and back the next day. She put a hand to her chin, moving to lean back against the bathroom door, tilting her head to the side. "Yeah, that looks bad," she commented with a shake of her head.

"Feels worse," Mike groaned, slowly lowering himself onto the side of the bath tub. "And my head's killing me, too."

"I'm serious, Mike, it looks like you let a kid finger-paint on your chest and back…with _water colors_," Melody said, shaking her head as she slid down the door until her butt hit the floor. "It looks really ugly."

"So is Kevin's face, but you don't hear me complaining about that," Mike replied, still managing to find the strength to slip humor into their conversation. Melody chuckled despite the situation. "I just need your help." He nodded towards the first aid kit that sat on the sink counter. "I can't reach my back."

"Yeah, yeah, got it," Melody replied, immediately getting off the floor to get the first aid kit. She popped open the top and grabbed the role of white bandage. She then grabbed his elbow and helped him slowly stand. "I still think you should go to a doctor."

"No way," Mike replied, shaking his head, before a look of pain crossed his face. He tightly squeezed his eyes shut. "My head kills, too." Melody stayed silent as she unwrapped the bandage and placed one end to her chest, motioning for him to start spinning.

"Not surprised your head hurts," she said after a moment of silence. "Jaeger told me he had to use his Night Shade attack."

"Yeah, he was acting really weird in that battle," Mike commented, slowly spinning in a circle. Melody unraveled some of the bandage and pulled it taught as Mike spun. The Green Ranger sucked in a sharp breath of air, wincing. "Damn, Mel."

"Geeze, just try not to make any sharp movements, alright?" Melody suggested, frowning a little bit.

"Ugh, that tends to happen when I have sharp pain striking my chest cavity," Mike replied in a monotone.

Melody clicked her tongue. "And here I thought Ranger suits were supposed to keep us safe."

"Must have the placebo suit," Mike replied with a small smile. He put out his hand to grab the sink as he lost his balance for a moment.

"That fight must've taken more out of you than I thought," Melody said with a shake of her head."Why won't you just go to the doctor?"

"Because doctors are quacks," Mike replied, looking up at her, breathing heavily as he waited for the pain in his body to ease a little before he started spinning again. "I'm fine, just a little sore. I'll take some pain pills once we're done. I'll be up and running in no time."

"Whatever you say," Melody replied with a shake of her head.

"Look, I'm keeping your secret for you, I need you to keep this for me," Mike said, suddenly looking serious. "I'm ok. Ok?"

"Okay," Melody replied with a nod. "Okay." She was silent for another moment before saying, "How'd you sleep last night? Most people, once they have that kind of attack used on them; it's not easy."

"No kidding," Mike muttered with a shake of his head. "What kind of freaky magic are your powers created out of anyway?" He looked around, his eyes unfocused. "I had weird thoughts and dreams last night."

"Not surprised," Melody commented. "My powers may seem, I don't really know if '_cool_' is the right word for it, but they come at a price. The darkness basically feeds off you; every sad or bad thought or feeling you have." Mike let out a low whistle. "That Night Shade attack? It basically makes you relieve every single horrible thing that has happened to you or you have done to other people, and it physically hurts you because you're making yourself vulnerable for the darkness to take over your body. Essentially, it hurts you from the inside out."

"That sucks," Mike lamely replied.

"Yep," Melody simply agreed. "So, I have to ask…what'd you see?"

"Things that I want to forget in a hurry," Mike replied. Melody peered at him and knew that he wasn't going to go anymore into that. She made a noise with her mouth but didn't try and push the subject any more than that. "Your powers suck."

"At least you can maintain your sense of humor throughout all this," Melody said, pulling harder on the bandage.

"Ow, shit!" Mike cried. "Come on, Mel."

Melody didn't reply as she secured the end to his chest. Mike winced a she then reached out a hand and patted his chest, right under his ribs. "Just remember one thing; never insult someone that has the power to cut off your air supply."

"Duly noted," Mike replied, reaching for his t-shirt, holding it out to her. "Thanks, Mel."

"No problem," Melody said as she helped him put on his shirt. "But, you can thank me by explaining to everyone—because I'm sure they've noticed by now—why I was in the bathroom with you." She then gave him a grin before she slipped out the bathroom door.

She then leaned back in the door and added, "By the way, I'm really proud of you, Mike. You really did your thing out there and really stepped it up."

"Yeah, thanks," Mike said with a small smile, walking, stiffly, towards her. He flipped off the bathroom light and dropped his shoulders, trying to walk normally. "I'm starving."

"Should've known even injured, nothing could change your appetite," she commented, leading their way into the kitchen. She stopped when she saw Kevin sitting at the kitchen table, eating cereal with right hand; using his left to hold a bag of peas to his bicep. He was doing an odd combination of hunching over his bowl and sitting up straight, trying to move his arm to his mouth. "What are you doing?"

Kevin sighed, dropping his spoon back into his bowl, sending some milk flying out. "After standing for an entire day in that…_pose_, my muscles are incredibly sore." He glared at Mike who gave a sweet smile in return.

"I thought it was cute, Kev," Mia said with a warm smile, reaching out her hand and placing it on Kevin's shoulder, gently squeezing it.

"Cute?!" Kevin repeated. He looked torn between being mad at Mike, and actually _smiling _at what Mia had to say.

"You need to learn to laugh at yourself," Mia said gently. "Don't take everything so seriously. It was just for fun."

"I wouldn't have done that to Mike," Kevin said with a shake of his head.

"Only because you don't know how to have fun," Melody pointed out. "You only train, train, and train. In that order."

"Training is fun," Kevin said, a defensive edge to his tone.

"It was funny, Kev, lighten up," Melody said with a roll of her eyes. "We all need to laugh once in a while."

"Why do you always defend him?" Kevin asked, peering at her.

"I'm still in the room, guys," Mike pointed out, looking slightly annoyed. "Kev; chill. It's over with, it's done. It was just for a laugh."

"I don't think you understand that—"

"Don't think I understand?" Mike asked, his eyebrows shooting up his forehead. "You don't get what it was like having to face that Nighlok by myself; knowing that if one thing went wrong, we'd all be doomed_."_

"You had Emily there with you," Kevin pointed out. "You weren't by yourself. And Jaeger—"

"Did you think I was going to let something happen to her?" Mike interrupted Kevin. "I'd risk myself getting switched just to make sure Emily was ok. I'd never forgive myself if I was with her and I couldn't stop someone or something from hurting her."

Kevin opened his mouth, wanting to reply, but instead firmly shut his mouth instead. Silence fell over the teenagers, but none of them wanted to be the first to break the silence.

"_Anyway_," Mia loudly stressed the word, "all that twisting has messed up my back. I could really use a spa day."

"Count me in," Emily said as she came into the room, her face shiny with sweat, in her training gear. Jayden followed shortly after her. "We haven't really had time to relax since Arachnitor came back."

"With these new Nighlok, we have to be on point," Jayden spoke up, moving around the counter and to the cupboard. He grabbed a plastic cup and filled it with water from the sink before quickly drinking all of it. "It's true, we are doing more than we have since this all started, but that's the price we have to pay to keep the city safe. We have to be on point."

"It's interesting you bring that up, Jayden," Mentor Ji commented as he walked into the kitchen, his hands clasped behind his back. "In fact, Melody and I have come up with something that will keep you in form."

"Which is?" Jayden asked, lowering his arm, a confused look crossing his face as he looked back and forth between the Purple Ranger and his mentor and friend.

"Since I can't actually leave the house to join you guys in battle, it's really important that I keep up with training," Melody explained, moving to sit on the island. She crossed her legs underneath her and reached towards the fruit basket to grab an apple. "But, I've noticed that we don't spend a lot of time running and doing push-ups and stuff, and it'd be beneficial to us if we did. So, Mentor and I have decided that I'll oversee training."

"But, Jayden covers training," Kevin replied, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"I mean like weight lifting, time trials, running, stuff like that," Melody replied before taking a bite out of the apple. "Let's face it, Kevin's really the only one that puts an effort outside of normal training to train."

"But, he was trained to be a swimmer before this, so…" Emily said, trailing off at the end of her sentence.

"I think it's a good idea," Mia said with a smile. "We should all do everything we can to have even the smallest advantage over a Nighlok."

"Does this mean we can't have junk food anymore?" Mike asked, a worried look on his face, as he slowly put his hand in the air. Melody peered at him for a moment before she burst out laughing.

"Yeah right," she replied as she calmed down. "I need my ice cream or I won't be a happy person."

"If you can't leave the 'Shiba Estate'," Kevin said using air quotes around the words. "How are you going to coach us?"

"Mentor's given me permission to leave if we do need to go somewhere that fits the need of the exercise for the day," Melody replied. "I just want to help some way. This place is so boring I might just put mustaches on the _rest _of you to get my kicks."

"Ha ha," Jayden deadpanned.

"Speaking of which," Emily spoke up, motioning to the faint drawing of the mustache was still on her face, "how did you let Jayden draw that on you?"

"Long story short, Jayden's a smooth talker," Melody replied. Mike snorted, quickly moving his hand in front of his mouth, wincing slightly. "Shut up, that's not what I meant." She took another bite out of her apple as Mia, Kevin, and Emily exchanged amused glances. "Looks like our leader is starting to have fun around here."

Jayden opened his mouth to reply, but the Gap Sensor went off. "We'll hold this conversation until later," he said as he set down the plastic cup as Mentor hurried out of the room. "Where's Antonio?"

"Fishing I'd assume," Mia said as she leaped out of her chair. "He wasn't here when I got up this morning."

"Alright," Jayden replied, reaching into his pocket for his Samuraizer.

"City Center, but it's not a Nighok," Mentor Ji replied as Jayden lifted his Samuraizer to his ear, "it's Moogers."

"Why would Xandred send Moogers and not a Nighlok?" Jayden asked, a confused look crossing his face. He blinked, giving a small shake of his head when Antonio's voice reached his ear. "Antonio, Mooger attack at the City Center." He pulled his Samuraizer away from his ear when he didn't instantly get a response. "Antonio did you hear me?" When Jayden got a response, he closed his Samuraizer with the aid of his hip, before sliding it back into his pocket. "Let's go."

The Rangers hurried to the location of the Mooger attack, morphing on the way. The cries and screams of the citizens of Panorama City reached their ears as they arrived at a breezeway.

"I don't see a Nighlok," Kevin said, looking around. "I don't understand."

"Can't dwell on it now," Jayden replied, removing his Spin Sword from its sheath. He attached his Red Lion Disc, giving it a hard push. "Spin Sword; Blazing Strike."

The Rangers rushed into battle, attracting small groups of Rangers around them. They worked as fast ad as efficiently as they possibly could to try and get rid of the Moogers. But, they were stronger than normal. A usual strike from Jayden's blazing sword would normally dry out and destroy the Moogers instantly, but they were withstanding the attack.

He regrouped with his friends and turned just in time to see Antonio staggering up to them. One arm was stiffly at his side, his other holding his Samuraizer. He rocked back and forth on his feet and muttered, "Gold Power" instantly morphing into the Gold Ranger.

"Antonio, buddy, what's wrong?" Jayden asked, hurrying to his friend's side. He gasped when he saw Antonio was pale and sweating. Antonio muttered something under his breath before producing his Barracuda Blade. As soon as the Gold Ranger glanced down at the weapon in his hands, he let out a loud scream, throwing it away from him, scrambling backwards as fast as he could. "Antonio!"

"I'm sorry," Antonio whimpered, gripping his helmet between his hands, curling up into a ball on the ground. "I can't do it. I just can't do it. I'm so sorry." He de-morphed in front of their eyes, rocking back and forth.

"Jayden!" Kevin cried, putting a hand on Jayden's shoulder. "We've got a problem." Jayden turned in time to see the Moogers running towards them, brandishing their swords.

"Get rid of the Moogers, and then we'll help Antonio," Jayden commanded before leading the charge back into the fight. They quickly got rid of the Moogers before hurrying back over to Antonio. "Let's get him home. Maybe Ji can help."

"You don't want to forget this," Emily said, grabbing the Barracuda Blade, holding it out towards the Gold Ranger. Antonio's lips trembled as he squeezed his eyes shut, slapping the Blue and Silver knife-like weapon out of Emily's hands, crawling away from her as fast as he could.

"No, don't," he cried. "It reminds me of…fish."

_A low rumbling sound filled Antonio's ears. His eyes darted around the kitchen, looking for the source of the noise. Suddenly, something orange flashed in the corner of his eye. His eyes widened as a cat entered his field of vision. He instantly knew why it was around. Because it was hungry and he was fish._

_It was snack time._

_Antonio couldn't move. He could only watch as the cat stuck out its tongue and started licking the fish's body. He wanted to move, to roll away was fast as possible. But he wasn't in his body. His body was lying in the living room, arms pinned to his sides, his legs stuck together. He couldn't move the fish at all._

_"Nice kitty," Antonio whimpered, "please don't eat me." While in the living room, he, Mia, Kevin, and Jayden found that they could still talk and hear each other. But, didn't know how much that would help him now. "Please don't."_

_The cat's stomach growled as it's tongue darted out before it opened its jaws, revealing sharp tooth after sharp tooth. "NO! NO, PLEASE!" _

_And then he was back in his body, screaming._

And he was still screaming when the other Rangers de-morphed, grabbed his under the arms and practically dragged him to the Shiba family car.

* * *

"We think Antonio's scared of fish."

"_What_?" Mentor Ji and Melody asked in unison.

Jayden never thought those words would ever come out of his mouth. It was weird for him to watch let alone admit was true. Antonio was the one that had gotten Jayden to, well, _tolerate_ fishing as well just get used to being around it a lot as well as it's smell, it's touch, and get used to eating all the different fish recipes the Gold Ranger had up his sleeves.

Jayden just sat down on one of the ottomans in the living room. He didn't know what to do to help his friend. Antonio always went on and on about loving fish. He never thought he'd have to deal with Antonio being afraid of fish. He didn't know what to do or say.

"But, Antonio grew up in a fish shop," Mentor replied, glancing at the Gold Ranger, who was sitting far away from everybody else. "I mean, he fishes every _day_. And, what, _now_ he's afraid of fish?" He shook his head. "You're kidding me, right?"

"It's no joke, Mentor," Jayden said with a shake of his head as Mentor moved to the back door, looking out into the backyard.

"Well, when that Nighlok switched our spirits with objects," Kevin mused aloud as he paced, "and Antonio _did _get turned into a fish."

"That cat was _this close _to eating him before he got switched back," Mia agreed, holding up her hand, her index and forefinger close together. "It's a good thing he was switched back, but, still. I can only imagine how terrible that would be."

"No kidding," Mike replied, playing with a loose thread on his pants. "I mean, that's something you only dream of." He wrapped the string around his finger until it turned red, and gave a hard tug, snapping the thread.

"Now Antonio can't even _touch _fish," Mia finished as if Mike hadn't said anything. She caught Mentor's eye and nodded. "I'm being dead serious."

"Dead isn't the word I'd use, Mi," Melody said with a shake of her head.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked, looking away from Antonio and over at the Purple Ranger.

"Jaeger hasn't been around all day and he won't come when I summon or him," Melody replied. She didn't move to face Emily. "And the other cat has disappeared as well."

"So?" Kevin asked, confused.

"Well, he was almost eaten by a cat, right?" Melody asked, turning around to face him. "I'm trying to prove—"

"I get it; you want to see if he's also afraid of cats, right?" Mia asked. "That does make more sense instead of being afraid of fish."

"Not necessarily, I'm afraid," Mentor Ji commented with a sigh. "This might just not be any normal fear. I mean, almost being eaten is a pretty traumatic moment. He could be suffering from PTSD."

"Exactly," Melody replied with a nod. "That's what I wanted to check. It would make more sense to be afraid of cats because that almost ate him. But, Antonio's afraid of fish now."

"What's PTSD?" Emily asked, wrinkling her nose.

"It's a psychological disorder, developed after a traumatic event," Melody instantly replied before anyone else had the chance to open their mouths. "People with PTSD—Post Traumatic Stress Disorder—have symptoms like reliving the event, or having nightmares." Mike gave her an odd look and she shrugged.

She had always thought that Jason and Tommy had suffered from PTSD without really knowing it; Jason for not getting to the Green Candle in time, and Tommy for everything he did as the evil Green Ranger. Around that time, she looked up what it was, just in case, and had always remembered what triggered it and what the symptoms were.

"Anyway, I'd guess that Antonio can't stop thinking about almost being eaten," Melody said, clasping her hands in her lap.

Antonio nodded and Mia moved to sit beside him. "Antonio, you're not a fish anymore," Mia gently reminded him. "You're back to normal."

Antonio sighed loudly, "I know…"

"You have nothing to be afraid of anymore," Jayden offered, "the cat is gone, too."

"I know, you're right," Antonio said with a nod. "But, I can't stop thinking about it. I'm sad to say that this is it. The Golden Age of Antonio is over."

"_The Golden Age of Antonio_?" Kevin repeated, arching an eyebrow. He rolled his eyes. He was annoyed of this whole thing. They had more important things to take care of; like figure out how exactly Melody was going to help them work on strength training. "Alright, look; you didn't get eaten. So, pull yourself together."

"Tact, Kev, look it up," Melody deadpanned, rolling her eyes.

"You're one to talk," Kevin muttered.

"Enough," Jayden said, an edge to his tone. "I get that this sounds crazy but—"

"Come on, dude," Mike groaned. "I mean, you taught yourself how to be a Samurai. I _know _you can get over this."

"_And _you programmed the Black Box, too," Emily pointed out, rubbing his shoulder. "Plus, you were able to get the Clawzord up and running again. You've faced so many hard things; you can get over this."

"It might not be as easy as we want it to be," Melody replied with a sigh. "Yes, he was able to unlock the Black Box, but let's not forget that the Darkness in that box messed him up a little. He didn't want to let Jayden down, and that's what the Darkness made him dwell on. He was beating himself up on not having the Box ready as fast as possible." She raked her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Now, it's making him relieve almost being eaten over and over again."

"How does he get rid of the Darkness?" Mia asked, looking worried.

"You don't, really," Melody replied with a frown. "Besides, everyone has it; people never really stop replaying bad things they went through in their minds. Say, a pet died or something; you think about it all the time; day in and day out for a while, until you're able to move on from it. But, there's always something that reminds you of it and you get depressed even just a little. We're human, it happens."

"So, what do we do now?" Mia asked. "We can't have both Mel _and _Antonio off the team. It'd be like we're back where we started."

"'_We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face. We must do that which we think we cannot_'," Melody recited, staring off into space. She blinked and sat up straight. "Eleanor Roosevelt."

"Meaning?" Emily asked, arching an eyebrow.

"To get Antonio back to his usual goofy self, we have to force him to face his fears," Melody explained moments before the Gap Sensor went off.

Mentor reached out a hand and slapped the table. Multiple red dots flashed on the map. "More Moogers. You better get going," Mentor Ji said as Jayden inched towards the door. "Near the Civic Center."

Jayden's eyes narrowed slightly. They had just gotten back from the first Mooger attack. He didn't understand what was going on. There had never been more than one attack at one time. "Got it," Jayden said as he, Mia and Kevin hurried out the door. Mike and Emily went after them, but Emily grabbed Mike's elbow, getting his attention. The two of them fell a little bit behind.

"What's up?" Mike asked, gently removing his arm from her grasp.

"I want to help Antonio get over his fear and I think I have a great idea as to how we're going to do it," Emily whispered. "I'm going to need everybody's help." She then peered curiously at them. "What are you guys afraid of?"

Mike's eyes widened slightly before he asking in reply, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

Emily just grinned. "By the way, I heard what you said to Kevin, about not wanting anything to happen to me?" Mike gave a short nod. "That's really sweet, Mike, and I appreciate it. I really do."

"No problem, Em."

* * *

**A/N: **I know I said I would have _One of the Guys II_ updated on Monday, but I'm off on Fall Break for a little bit, so I decided to hold off until I got home to update. Anyway, I updated this first because "Something Fishy" was one of my favorite episodes and I really wanted to start it. _One of the Guys II _will be updated again soon.

**~MysticMelody101~**


	12. Chapter 12: Something Fishy

**.:Chapter Twelve - Something Fishy:.**

* * *

The front door to the Shiba House opened and Jayden, Kevin, Mia, Mike, and Emily slowly walked in, looking disgruntled, some dust and dirt covering their clothes.

"What happened?" Mentor asked, eyes wide, looking at each Ranger as they slowly made their way into the house. "Was there a Nighlok?"

"Yeah, and what took you so long to get back?" Melody asked, turning away from the back window, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"No, just Moogers," Jayden replied, answering Mentor's question, shaking his head. "Everything went well. We just…had to run an errand before we got back." He looked over at Emily and nodded.

" Antonio, "Emily said stepping forward, her arms behind her back," we won't let you quit. Everyone has fears but we're going to teach you how to beat them." Antonio looked doubtful as she passed Kevin a metal container. "It's called aversion therapy."

"I really don't think—"

"Look," Emily interrupted walking over to Antonio, putting a hand on his shoulder, using her free hand to point behind him. Antonio turned his head to see Jayden removing his coat, sitting down on one of the chairs in the common room. Mia was by his side, holding onto a wooden container. Jayden slowly raised his left arm into the air, looking tense. "Jayden's getting over his fear of spiders."

Mia lifted the lid to the wooden container and held it close to Jayden's arm. Slowly, a gray spider crawled out of the container and onto Jayden's arm. His eyes widened and he pressed his lips tightly together, the color leaving his face. "Yeah," he choked out. He looked like was making sure he wasn't moving, "I've got no problem with them."

"You're scared of spiders?" Melody asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No," Jayden quickly replied. He paused, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "I just hate how they move so fast." He watched as the spider quickly crawled up his arm, moving towards his neck. He didn't move, but he kept his eyes on the spider. "See?" He gave a fleeting smile. "The Samurai can overcome any fear."

Kevin sighed, placing the metal container down onto the table before turning towards Mike, clapping him on the shoulder. Mike flinched, briefly moving his shoulders up towards his ears. He let out a breath of air, slowly lowering his shoulders, the front still on his face. He lifted his hand and roughly pushed Kevin's hand away.

"Mike here, is afraid of enclosed spaces," Kevin announced, putting his hands on Mike's shoulders, pushing him towards the closet door. Mike put his feet firmly on the ground, trying to slow down or even stop Kevin from being able to push him into the closet. "Come _on, Mike_."

"Do we all really have to do this?" Mike asked, trying as hard as he could to stop himself from moving closer to the closet. "I mean, Antonio get's the point, right?"

"If Mike doesn't want to do it, he doesn't have to do it," Melody spoke up, seeing the look of discomfort on Mike's face.

He must've been hurting real bad with all of the pressure being applied to the bruises on his body. She wanted to tell the others, but she did promise him. If he hadn't thrown the fact that he had helped her out, and continued to do so, she might've told them all that he was injured. But she knew that he was like him; not wanting injuries to slow the whole team down.

"We can only help him if we _all_ face our fears," Emily pointed out.

"But, but," Mike stammered as Mentor walked over to him, grabbing his shoulder, pulling him towards the closet. "This is so not cool." Mike's eyes widened as Kevin opened the closet door. There was barely any space for the shelves, mops, brooms, and dustpans in there let alone for one person. "Seriously?"

"In you go," Kevin said, pushing Mike forward into the closet. "Have fun."

"I don't know, guys," Mike said with a shake of his head. "I don't think this is such a good idea." Kevin gave him a hard push and Mike had to put out his hands to stop himself from colliding with the shelves. "_Help_."

"Guys—" Antonio said with a shake of his head. Emily put up her hand and Antonio fell silent.

"Watch this," she said, getting up from her spot beside Antonio, patting his knee before she went to retrieve the metal container, walking over to Mia. "Mia has her own fears to overcome." She removed the lid and revealed a frog. Mia's eyes widened and she made a noise of disgust. Emily turned her head to explain to Antonio that, "Frogs make Mia's skin crawl."

Mia shuddered as the frog started to croak repeatedly. Its eyes turned and focused on her, unblinking. Her nose wrinkled at the smell coming from the frog. Emil moved it closer to Mia and she quickly backed away.

"Come on, Mia, you can do it," Emily encouraged, taking a closer step towards her friend.

Mia eyed the frog warily before saying in a quiet voice. "M-maybe if I give it a kiss…it'll turn into Prince Charming," she managed to choke out.

It sounded like she was trying to reassure herself more than trying to show Antonio that she could get over her fear. Mia puckered her lips and very slowly, moved towards the frog. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the bumpy skin of the frog touch her lips. She quickly pulled away, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

"Ewww, gross! Oh my gosh, yuck," she cried, opening her eyes. She caught the look on Emily's face, as the Yellow Ranger put the lid on the metal container to stop the frog from jumping away, and quickly changed her demeanor. "I mean….see? Nothing to it."

"There's no way I'm kissing a fish," Antonio said with a sigh, looking even more miserable than he did before. "I appreciate this guys, but there's nothing you can do to help. I'm going to have to hang up my fishing pole…and my Barracuda Blade. You might as well give up."

"No way," Emily replied with a shake of her head, turning towards Melody who, she noticed, was strangely quiet. "Mel, what are you afraid of?"

"Uhhhh," Melody replied, looking around at Mentor, Kevin, Mia, Emily, and Antonio as they all turned to face her. "Nothing."

"Come on, Mel, everyone's afraid of something," Emily said, putting her hands on her hips."You want to help Antonio, don't you?"

Melody gave her a pointed look. "Of course I do," she replied, clearly stung. "I don't see you volunteering to showcase your fear."

Emily's shoulders slumped and she said quietly, "What I'm afraid of…you can't recreate with Symbol Power." Melody clenched her teeth together, feeling like a jerk. She knew that Emily's biggest fear was to let Serena down; to not be as great of a Ranger as she knew her sister could be.

"Same here, Em," she replied quietly. They all turned when the backdoor slid open and Jaeger walked inside, looking tense, chest heaving. "Where've you been? I've been looking for you?"

"Out patrolling," Jaeger replied shortly. "I knew there were Mooger attacks, don't worry." He started to pace, looking at all of them. "Where's Mike? What's going on?"

"In the closet," Emily replied, earning a weird look from Jaeger. "We're facing our fears to show Antonio that everyone can do it, even he can." She then gave him a sly look. "What's Mel afraid of?"

"The circus," Jaeger instantly replied, getting a glare from Melody. Mia, Emily, and Kevin exchanged confused glances before looking back at him. "She has coulrophobia."

"Shut up," Melody said in a warning tone.

"What's coulrophobia?" Emily asked.

"Coulrophobia," Jaeger replied, stopping his pacing, glancing out the back door before giving her his full attention. "That´s the fear of clowns." Emily's eyes widened in shock and she looked like she was trying not to laugh when she turned to face Melody, who suddenly looked embarrassed.

"_You're_ scared of clown?" Kevin asked, pointing his finger at her. His shoulders shook in silent laughter. "What's so scary about them?"

"Thanks, Kev, I feel so much better now," Melody said, deadpan, "Besides, I'm not scared of clowns, I hate them. Okay?"

"Ok, then, why do you hate them?" Mia asked.

"I don´t," Melody paused, pressing her lips together. "Ok, you have to promise you won't laugh at me if I tell you."

"Promise!" all the Rangers replied in unison. It was obvious they were getting a kick out of her fear. Melody prided herself in being a strong fighter and someone who barely showed fear over anything.

"When I was nine, my Uncle Mike took my friends and me to the circus," Melody explained after a moment of silence. "So, at the circus they had this little attraction where you can ride baby elephants after the baby elephant and this clown performed their routine. So, my friend, Zack, 'volunteered' me to do it."

"Uh oh," Mia muttered.

"Everyone thought I wanted to do it, but I didn't," Melody continued, starting to twist her hands in her lap. "So this clown took me and sat me on the elephant. Well, the elephant wasn't all that happy about it and kind of bucked me off. But, before I actually hit the ground, the clown, doing his damn job, caught me and put me back on the elephant." Her face then turned bright red.

"And this is about the time where I started crying, which the clown thought was pretty funny and laughed at me. Hard. So then, my Uncle stepped in and took me out of the area and to this locker room. This, in hindsight, wasn't the best idea because it was the locker room for the people who were dressing up like clowns. They all saw me crying and started swarming me, trying to cheer me up, which made it worse. And _I swear _one of them looked _exactly _like Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King's _IT _and—" she trailed off, shuddering. "I just don't like 'em." Melody cleared her throat, trying to look less freaked out than she was. "You happy now?"

"Yes," Emily replied, trying not to burst out laughing. Kevin on the other hand was already doubled over, laughing. Melody gave Kevin an annoyed look. Emily coughed, wiping the smile from her face. "See, Antonio? We _all_ have fears. It just takes some time to get over them. But, we're here to help you."

"Exactly," Kevin said with a nod as he left the kitchen. He came back moments later with a plate and a bowl in his hands. He placed the plate down on the table in front of Antonio. Antonio peered at it, and let out a small whimper when he saw the brown colored fish sitting on the plate and scooted a little ways away from it. "Antonio, you've touched _thousands _of fish before. Just put your hand on this one."

"I can't do it," Antonio said with a shake of his head. "No, I can't."

"Alright, look," Kevin said, tapping Antonio on the shoulder. Antonio slowly turned in his seat to face Kevin, putting his hand up on by the side of his head so he wouldn't have to look at the fish out of his peripheral vision. "Wanna talk scary? Mia cooked _this_." He held up the bowl and Antonio felt his upper lip curl when he looked into the bowl at what looked like brown and pink oatmeal with corn, noodles, and jelly. "Now, I'll even take a bite…of this—" Kevin paused, gagging for a moment before turning back to Antonio, "if you touch the fish."

Melody looked across the room at Mia and saw that she had a curious look on her face, but didn't look offended at all. Kevin was pretty much insulting Mia's food in front of her face, telling her the truth about what everybody thought about her cooking, but she didn't look to be upset at all. Melody caught Emily's eye and the Yellow Ranger shrugged.

"Aren't you upset that Kevin's talking badly about your food?" Emily asked, gently nudging Mia in the side.

"Nah," Mia replied with a shake of her head and Emily's eyes widened slightly. "Kevin had some for breakfast this morning and he loved it. Besides, I only know he's saying that just to try and help Antonio."

"Riiight," Emily replied with a slow nod turning her head away to cringe.

"Rangers together, right?" Kevin asked, his lips twitching as he stared down at the bowl in his hands.

Antonio nodded repeatedly. "Right, right. Rangers together," he muttered. He started to repeat 'Rangers Together' to himself over and over again as he slowly lifted his hand into the air. His fingers twitched as Kevin started to count. _You can do this, Antonio. You can do this_.

When Kevin got to "Three" he shoveled a large spoonful of…breakfast into his mouth, instantly gagging as Antonio quickly pulled his hand back, shouting that he couldn't go through with it. Kevin glared at the Gold Ranger, looking like he wanted to throttle him, but couldn't say anything because of the food in his mouth.

"Look, guys," Antonio said getting to his feet. "I appreciate everything. Really, I do." He slid his hands into his jeans pockets. "I just…I want to be alone for a little bit, alright?" Before he could give the Rangers a chance to protest, he made his way out into the backyard.

Kevin moved the bowl of food to his mouth and spat his mouthful back into the bowl. "Well, _that _ didn't work," he commented, making a face, smacking his lips together.

"I don't think you were all that convincing, Kev," Melody said with a devious grin. She was obviously enjoying the moment after his making fun of her fear. "I think you could've eaten some more of that to get the full effect."

"Knock it off," Jayden said in a tight voice through clenched teeth. Everyone turned to look at him. He had been silent for so long, they kind of forgot he was even there. "Since that didn't work…could you take this off me now?"

"_Yeah_," Mike shouted from the closet, "_and could I get out of here_?"

Jaeger silently walked over to Jayden and grabbed the spider in his hands, moving to put it in the wooden container that Mia held out to him. Jayden's eyes closed as he let out a sigh of relief, scratching at his arm and neck, wiggling his shoulders. "What do we do now?"

"What if Antonio never gets over this?" Mike asked, as he practically burst out of the closet, rubbing at his arms. "I mean, some people never truly get over their fears." He shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "That Nighlok put us all through a tough time, but what's to say we won't face anything worse?"

"Maybe he's really not cut out for this," Kevin spoke up, choosing his words carefully. "Maybe this proving to be too much for him." Jayden frowned as Mia let out a gasp.

"Kevin," Emily said quietly, shaking his head.

Kevin briefly closed his eyes. "I'm not trying to be mean," he reassured everybody. "I mean, I know Antonio and I didn't start off on the right foot. I know I'll sound like a jerk when I say this, but I've always had a thought in the back of my mind; does Antonio really know the risks of being a Samurai Ranger? Is he really cut out to be a Samurai?" He was silent for a moment. "Guys. I'm really worried about him."

They all jumped when the Gap Sensor went off for a third time that day. Mentor hurried over to the oak table, pressing his palm to it to reveal the city map. "The Edge of the city," he announced, immediately spotting the large red pulsing dot," near the Western Woods."

Jayden looked at the map his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Let's hope this is the last attack for the day." He then looked over at Melody. "See if you can get some leeway with Antonio."

"Got it," Melody replied with a nod. "Jaeger, I'd go with them just in case. Something tells me they'll need all the help they can get." Jaeger silently nodded in reply.

"Let's go," Jayden commanded, leading the way out of the house.

Melody then turned towards Mentor, crossing her arms over her chest, pursing her lips. "You think there's anything we can do to help Antonio?"

"I have a hunch," Mentor replied, rubbing his temples. "We've tried forcing Antonio to face his fears." Melody silently nodded. "I think we should try taking his mind off of it?"

"Mentor, with all due respect, that sounds crazy," Melody said, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "The only way to get over your fears is to face them head on."

"Yes, but only when whoever has the fear is willing to face it," Mentor reminded her. He put up a finger, silently telling her to wait a minute before he left the room. Melody slid her hands into her back jeans pockets and started rocking back and forth on her heels as she waited for him. Mentor returned later, carrying a lantern in his hands. "Maybe this will help Antonio."

"I don't follow," Melody replied with a shake of her head. "How is a-?"

"Just trust me on this one," Mentor replied, motioning for her to follow him outside. Melody peered at him for a moment, but did as she was told. Antonio was sitting on one of the concrete benches in the backyard, his hands clasped tightly together in his lap.

"It's over," Antonio said as he looked up at the two of them. He was talking quietly, his voice cracking. H was normally so lively and smiley, it was weird to see him so down. "I'm sorry, Mentor. Mel. But, I can't do this anymore. I can't go with them. I just can't."

"Maybe so, but there is something you can do in the meantime," Mentor replied, pulling his arms out from behind his back, showing him the lantern.

"Think of it as…your final project before you thrown in the towel," Melody agreed.

"What is it?" Antonio asked, wiping his palms on his jeans.

"I gave you the Clawzord and you brought it back to life," Mentor agreed and Antonio couldn't help but smile a little bit. Mentor pushed the lantern into Antonio's hands. "This is the LightZord; an ancient Zord that no Samurai have ever been unable to unlock for centuries."

"And your symbol power is light," Melody added and Mentor agreed. "You could be the first to do to this, Antonio. I know you can do it."

"Ok," Antonio replied with a nod, turning the lantern over in his hands. "But, once I've unlocked this; that's it. I'm leaving." He let out a breath of air as he got to his feet. "But, I'll try."

"That's all we ask for, Antonio," Mentor replied, putting a hand on Antonio's shoulder. "We understand your predicament and we thank you for everything you've done for us so far." He looked up towards the sky when he heard a loud explosion, followed by smoke rising into the air.

"I should hurry," Antonio commented with a frown.

"Take your time, Antonio," Mentor said with a shake of his head. "The Rangers have Jaeger with them to help. What's important is that you get the LightZord completed."

Antonio nodded and went to get his fishing gear. He lightly ran his fingers over the picture of the fish on the side of his blue cart before he touched his fishing poles. Letting out a heavy sigh, he gripped the LightZord in his left hand and grabbed the handle to the cart with his right. He glanced down at the LightZord before slowly walking out of the backyard to the Shiba House.

"What do we do now?" Melody asked, turning to face Mentor.

"Now…we go get some sushi," Mentor replied, a mysterious look on his face.

* * *

The Rangers arrived in the forest to come face to face with Spit Fangs who had been launching fireballs at the city from the top of the cliff. Jayden led the Rangers in their morph, but before they could take a step towards the foot soldiers, a powerful lightning bolt shot out from the sky, destroying the Spit Fang, and knocking the Rangers off their feet.

"What the—?" Mike choked out around the dust and dirt that hung in the air. He put a hand to his chest, rolling onto his stomach to push himself up onto his elbows. He looked around and saw that the Spit Fangs had disappeared. "They took out their own guys." He got to his feet, reached out his hand and grabbed Emily's arm, helping her to her feet. _There's gotta be a reason for Xandred to destroy his own monsters. But, I'm afraid to hear what it is. _"Something's up."

"You're right, Green Ranger," a deep voice replied. Laughter from the sky drew the Rangers' attention upwards as a Nighlok slowly dropped down to the ground in front of them, smirking widely. Mike wordlessly moved to stand in front of Emily. Kevin glanced over at Mike, then at the Nighlok, and did the same to Mia. Jayden stepped up in front of all of them.

"So, you're the current Samurai Power Rangers," the Nighlok said and looked at each of the Rangers directly, "How illuminating." He sounded bored; as I he could take the Rangers down quickly. From the look of the Nighlok, no one could doubt that he was powerful.

"Who are you?" Jayden asked, taking half a step forward. His chest burned as he breathed, staring the Nighlok down.

"I am Serrator," the Nighlok answered the smirk never leaving his face, "and I recently became the newest passenger aboard Master Xandred's ship." Serrator let out a mock sigh of sadness. "The last time I walked this pitiful realm is so long ago, I've returned to shake the very foundation of your world but for now, shall we test how tough you really are?"

"Be at the top of your game, guys," Jayden said, reaching for his Spin Sword. "This won't be easy." He looked over at Jaeger and saw that the lion-human hybrid was staring at the Nighlok, his head tilted to the side, eyes narrowed either in a glare or a curious look. His hands twitched at his sides and a growl rumbled in his throat. "What's up?"

"I feel like…I know who he is," Jaeger replied, tilting his head the other way. "But, I know I've never met him. I don't think."

"You have done your best to ignore me," Serrator said, turning towards Jaeger, "but here I am. I am the only constant in your life. Yours and the Purple Ranger." Jaeger's upper lip curled in a snarl at the mention of Melody. "Who am I?" He chuckled when Jaeger didn't answer.

"_I_…am how you humans all know what happiness is. Everyone, some time or another, gets to know me." Jayden watched as Jaeger's eyes hardened until they seemed to be a blaze of green flame. He didn't know if Jaeger knew who Serrator was, but what he was saying was obviously getting to him. "I've been waiting for this moment for years. As I waited in the Netherworld, my strength grew tenfold. I'm not here just 'cause of you, Jaeger. I feed on the world. I feed on—"

"Misery," Jaeger finished for him.

Serrator smiled mockingly, pointing a long talon over at Jaeger. "Clever boy." He then clapped his hands together. "Test time!" He shot his long claws out at the Rangers. The Samurai jumped out of the way and began with their own attacks. Their advantage now was that they had him outnumbered, but Serrator quickly proved that he was stronger than they were and open to fight them and beat them down.

Jayden swung his sword down but Serrator caught it between his large, metal like fingers and then clawed at Jayden, swiping back and forth until the Red Ranger was on the ground. Jaeger let out a caterwaul and launched himself in the air, alternating between using his sword and fighting with his powers. But, Serrator was too smart for him, blocking each of his sword swings and blasting his attacks back at him.

"Darkness and misery go hand in hand don't you think, kitten?" Serrator asked, grabbing Jaeger around the neck, lifting him off the ground. "It was only a matter of time until I found her."

"Leave…her alone," Jaeger choked out, his face slowly turning red.

"Surely you know that it's her destiny to work with me," Serrator said, "You better step it up or you might be…knocked down a peg." Serrator then lazily tossed Jaeger away from him. Jaeger landed in a heap next to Jayden.

Mia then went after Serrator, but the new Nighlok was no match for her, easily batting her away. Kevin came to her rescue, jumping in front of her to protect her, but Serrator jabbed at Kevin with his claws, knocking the Blue Ranger down. Emily quickly jumped in, hoping to catch Serrator off guard as he recovered from attacking Kevin, but the Yellow Ranger quickly found herself on the ground, her knee throbbing with pain. She flinched when Serrator raised his clawed hand in the air to strike her, but let out a gasp of shock when Mike jumped in front of her, taking the attack.

Meanwhile, Antonio was across town, moping. He was grateful for his friends for trying to help him, but at the same time he just wanted to be alone. But at the same time, he wanted to be around his friends. For when he was with them, he barely thought about when he was almost eaten by the cat. He replayed the events in his mind over and over again until he broke out into a cold sweat.

With his fear of fish he knew there was no way to help the Rangers as he had a Barracuda Blade and not a Spin Sword like the rest of them and that fueled his desire to leave. How could he fight with a weapon in the shape of a fish? It sounded funny when he thought about it, but he couldn't help what he was afraid of. And he knew he was being a burden on the other Rangers. Giving them the LightZord, what he'd be going out with a bang and he'd be happy knowing he could do one last thing to help his team.

Antonio paused in his work, letting out a sigh. He looked out over the waves below the cliff he sat at. He had a great view of the city; one that was kind of hard to find. He didn't know if anyone else knew of the clearing, but he always went there to clear his mind. When he first returned to the city, he made his way up there, not knowing what he would find, but using it as a way to look out over the city. Panorama had changed since he had left when he was a kid.

_I can't let Mentor or the Rangers down, _Antonio thought as he used the palm of his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. _I'll unlock the power of the LightZord even if it's the last thing I do. _Antonio's lips twitched as he let out a short laugh. _It'll be the last thing I do as a Ranger anyway._

He looked over at his fish cart when he heard the familiar sound of the top opening. The Octozord poked its head out before hovering over to him. Antonio's lips relaxed into a smile as he grabbed his zord out of the air. Octozord was always with him and was always there to listen to him vent, even if he couldn't actively talk back and Antonio liked it that way. Octozord was his best friend; always being by his side.

"At least I'm not scared of you, buddy," he commented, releasing the zord, watching it float in the air.

A tear slipped down his cheek. He was scared, he was alone, he had no idea where to go, or what would happen. He never thought about what he would do with the Octozord. He instantly thought about bringing him with him, but the Rangers needed all the zords they could get to fight the Nighlok. It wouldn't be fair for him to take two zords away.

He shook his head, turning back to his Samuraizer. He lifted it up into the air, staring at the LightZord, and used his thumbs to type out the code to tap into his Symbol Power. He glanced briefly at the faint symbol that sat on the front of the LightZord and pressed his lips together. _You can do this, Antonio._ He let out a slow breath of air, relaxing his shoulders. "Symbol Power; Light."

He watched as little light symbols floated out of the screen of his phone, and into the LightZord. The LightZord glowed and the black symbol appeared on the front. Antonio grinned, but it didn't last long as he saw the picture on his Samurai Morpher screen change to show that Mentor was calling him. He sighed and stopped what he was dong, answering the call. "Yeah?"

"_Antonio; the team is in trouble. You need to join them_."

"I can't," Antonio replied with a shake of his head. He used his free hand to run his fingers through his hair. "I'm not cured of my fear." Antonio heard a shuffling noise and pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment. And then Melody's voice came on the line.

"_You better be over your fear. The Rangers are getting their asses handed to them_. _Like, seriously. Jayden called and said there's this new guy named Serrator. They're really getting a beat down. Just hurry over there_."

"I have to finish the LightZord and then you or Ji can take to the Rangers," Antonio replied, removing his morpher from his ear. "Once I'm done with that, I'm gone."

"_God damn it, Antonio_—"

Antonio hung up the morpher and shook his head, staring at it in his hands for a moment before going back to what he was doing. He knew that it was all up to him now. The Rangers needed the LightZord as soon as possible. He could feel his energy draining each time he used the Lightzord, but he knew it was important to get it down. He was so into his work he didn't hear the rapid footsteps approaching him.

"Antonio Garcia!" Melody snapped, her eyes set in a glare as she and Mentor Ji strode over to Antonio. Antonio jumped out of his chair, knocking it over in surprise, at the sudden noise "How the hell could you hang up on me?"

"Just let me explain," Antonio said, putting his hands up defensively. "You see—" he was cut off when a piece of sushi was shoved into his mouth, courtesy of Mentor Ji.

"Stop your nonsense and eat this sushi," he commanded, clapping his hands together before wiping them on his pants. Antonio slowly chewed, his eyebrows rising. He then smiled and quickly ate the rest of the sushi. "You ok now?"

"I…think so," Antonio replied. He quickly flipped open the top of his fish cart, reached in, and pulled out a cold, slimy fish. "Yes, I am!" He then moved the fish to his nose and took a deep whiff. "I'm cured! I'm not scared of fish anymore."

"Get going, the other Rangers need you," Melody said with a shake of her head as she put the fish back. She grabbed his hand, palm up, and forced his fingers open before putting the Barracuda Blade in his hand. "But, don't leave without this." Antonio grinned, tightly gripping the blade."I told you, you could do it. You just had to face your fears. If Mentor force feeding you fish didn't work, I had another idea, but I'm glad you're ok."

"Master Xandred is going to pay for messing with me," Antonio said, knocking on his head with his fist. He glanced over at the LightZord. "You're just in time, too." He grabbed the handle, smiling down at the new Zord. "Let's see what this baby's got."

"We'll take your cart back home," Mentor said as he grabbed the handle of Antonio's fish cart. "Hurry, Antonio."

"I'm on my way."

* * *

"Are you giving up already?" Serrator asked as he stalked over to the fallen Rangers, "No fight left in you? I thought you were the great and all powerful Samurai Rangers." He pointed his Shaku at Mia's neck, his grin re-emerging as he watched her tremble in fear. "So be it."

"_Not so fast_!"

Mia flinched when something black shot across her vision, hitting Serrator's wrist, knocking the sword out of its grasp. Mia watched the black object hit the ground and saw that it was a black disc. She knew it couldn't have been from Jayden as he was currently in the Megazord, battling against Serrator's assistant, Papyrox. She rolled onto her stomach and her eyes widened when she saw Antonio, fully morphed, holding onto a red and blue object.

"Antonio!" Emily gasped, relief and shock in her voice. "You came!"

"I'd never leave my friends hanging," Antonio replied, pointing the object directly at Serrator. "Besides, I've got a new toy to try out. Check out the LightZord, guys."

"Interesting," Serrator said, turning to face Antonio, "What a strange little creature. Too bad I couldn't care less about it."

Serrator held up a ball before he started kicking it around like a soccer ball. Blue flames engulfed the ball as Serrator kicked it towards Antonio. Antonio smirked behind his helmet, using the blade from the LightZord to strike through the glowing ball. He then followed that up with LightZord's Scatter Shot attack, where disc after black disc shot out of the Lightzord, striking Serrator. Antonio took this time to charge forward and attacked Serrator, striking him on the arm, causing the Nighlok to let out a groan of pain.

"I underestimated you," Serrator growled as he inspected him arm. For the first time since he challenged the Rangers he was actually in pain. He glared at Antonio. "It seems you passed my test, for now." Before Antonio could land another attack on Serrator, a gap opened up under his feet and he slipped inside, laughing maniacally, his threat hanging in the air.

"Antonio, that was amazing," Emily said as she got to her feet, hurrying over to him to give him a tight hug. "How'd you get over your fear?"

"Antonio can explain later," Mia interrupted them, "We need to help Jayden." She pointed towards the fallen Megazord and Antonio brandished the LightZord, stopping the Rangers in their tracks.

"I've got a lot of catching up to do, guys," Antonio explained, his grip tightening around the LightZord's handle. "Let me handle this on and show you what the LightZord can do." He threw the lantern up in the air and traced the symbol for light, calling for Mega Mode power. To everyone else's astonishment, the LightZord transformed into its own Megazord, heading straight into battle.

The Rangers watched as Antonio called out moves for the LightZord to perform, texting on his phone as he did so. The LightZord was really helping Jayden out and proved to be the addition that the Rangers needed. In its last attack, Antonio called for it to use the Battle Disc, but got jammed. With a swift kick to the back from the foot of the Megazord, it was quickly un-jammed and the large black disc shot out of the slot at the bottom of the LightZord. The LightZord grabbed the disc and threw it at Papyrox like a Frisbee, striking it in the chest.

"Alright, buddy, time to finish him off," Antonio called, "Scatter Shot." Again, many discs shot out of the LightZord, striking Papyrox repeatedly, slicing Serrator's henchman to pieces, causing it to explode. Without hesitation, and without missing a single step, the Light Zord pounded into the monster, taking him out faster than the Rangers had ever seen until suddenly he froze up.

The LightZord then shrank back to its normal size and flew into Antonio's hands. "Great job, LightZord. Those moves were _golden," _Antonio said with a grin, waving the zord in the air above his head. "Ahhh, it's good to be back."

"Great to have The Gold Age of Antonio back," Kevin said, clapping Antonio on the shoulder. "You came just in time, too." He then looked over towards the Pink Ranger. "Mia, are you alright?"

"Never better," Mia replied with a nod. "Thanks to Antonio and the LightZord."

Jayden caught up to the other Rangers and they all powered down. As they made their way to the Shiba family car, they all talked at once, raving about the LightZord and talking about how glad they were that Antonio was back to fight alongside them. Once they got back to the Shiba House Antonio promised a fish dinner and while they watched him cook it, they told Mentor, Melody, and Antonio about Serrator before Antonio had arrived.

"Thank god you're all alright," Melody said as she wrapped little strips of bandage around one of Jaeger's small paws. "Serrator sounds like one tough cookie."

"He's merciless that's what," Kevin said darkly. "He acted like everything we were doing was just a game. He was enjoying kicking us around."

"Honestly, with how man of Xandred's Nighlok we've destroyed, I'm not surprised about that, Melody said with a sigh. Jaeger flinched, hissing slightly. "Sorry." She then sniffed the air, smiling as she sighed. "That smells great, Antonio." She then looked over at Emily. "Pass the celery, please."

"You've clearly gotten over your fear of fish," Mike said before taking a large bite out of the apple in his hands. He grabbed the plate out of Emily's hands, handing it over to Melody.

"Yep," Antonio said with a grin, "Not only am I cured, but now we've got the LightZord on our team."

"Who knew that little guy could pack a punch," Emily said with a grin, crunching on some celery.

"You have to tell us how you got over your fear," Mia spoke up, brushing her hair behind her ear as some wind pulled it out of her ponytail. "Sorry we couldn't be of much help."

"I appreciate you all helping me out," Antonio said with a slight shake of his head. "Really. I'm just happy to be over my fear. Anyway, Mentor just showed me that I had to follow my gut."

"Literally," Melody muttered under her breath.

"Mel, you said that you had another plan to help me get over my fear," Antonio said a curious look on his face. Melody chuckled, shaking her head. "What was it?"

"I was going to kiss you," Melody replied simply. Everyone turned towards Jayden when he choked on the mouthful of lemonade he had just drunk. He half coughed, half spat the lemonade onto the table as Mia and Emily rushed to get him napkins. Mike and Kevin just looked amused.

"No, you weren't," Antonio replied, looking doubtful.

"Well, we'll never know now, will we?" she asked with an amused grin.

"Makes sense," Mike commented, rubbing his chin, grinning. "Everyone knows Antonio would do anything to impress Mel." Melody winked, taking a bite out of her celery, causing Mike to start laughing.

"Hey, Kev, could you go inside and get me the horse radish?" Melody asked the Blue Ranger, who was silent, standing off to the side of the table. Kevin nodded, making his way inside and Melody motioned for everyone to lean closer to her. "Mike, Em, and I meant to tell you guys earlier, but we found out that we missed Kevin's birthday."

"But…why didn't he say anything?" Mia asked, her eyebrows knitting in confusion, leaning back in her seat to look into the kitchen. "Everyone deserves to celebrate their birthday."

"You know, Kev," Jayden said, wiping at his mouth with the back of his arm, "the most important thing to him is the Samurai life. Throwing a birthday party, for him no less, would probably constitute as a distraction for him."

"That's why we were thinking of throwing him a party," Emily explained. "Maybe this weekend? We wanted it to be at the local pool. Y'know, because of his dream of becoming an Olympic swimmer and all that."

"That's a good idea," Mia said, suddenly looking sad. "I'm sure he's really missing swimming. This is a good idea." She looked around at everybody. "I'll make him a cake." Everyone's eyes widened.

"Thanks for the offer, but I kind of want to try my hand at this new recipe, if that's ok with you," Melody quickly explained.

"Of course," Mia replied with a nod, allowing the other Rangers to let out sighs of relief. "I'll be in charge of decorations then, unless anyone objects."

"We'll figure the rest out later," Jayden said, leaning back in his seat. "We don't want Kev to think anything's going on." His stomach growled loudly. "Antonio, how's dinner coming?"

"It'll be ready in about 10 minutes, mi amigo," Antonio replied, flipping one of the fish over to check to see if it was cooking well.

Five minutes later, Kevin still wasn't back to the table and the Rangers were confused as to what was taking him so long. But, before any of them got up from their seats, Kevin came back to the table, standing behind Melody.

"Hey, Mel, we had two types of horseradish, I didn't know what kind you wanted," he said.

Melody turned around in her seat to see what he was talking about and came face to face with a picture of Pennywise the Clown floating in front of her face. She let out a loud scream and in a flash scrambled underneath the table, backing up into Mia's legs as everyone burst out laughing.

"Laugh it up, guys, because now that I know all of your guys' fears, revenge is imminent," Melody warned, reaching up to the top of the table, patting around until she found some celery. She pulled her arm back down under the table and took a large bite out of one. "Mark my words."

* * *

**A/N: **And that's the debut of Serrator. He's going to be around more often and you'll soon find out what is making Jaeger act weird. And it has to do with something Serrator said in this chapter. Hope you enjoy this.

**~MysticMelody101~**


	13. Chapter 13: Aftermath and Kidnapped

**.:Chapter Thirteen – Aftermath and Kidnapped:.**

* * *

Emily sat on the front porch, playing her flute, looking out into the vast front yard of the Shiba House. She hadn't played her flute a lot since she got to the Shiba House; she only used it to calm herself down when her worry or anxiety rose. That hadn't happened in a long while. She was happy and safe in the Shiba House, but that all came crashing down when she and the other Rangers ran into Serrator.

She never thought she'd have to face someone so powerful in her tenure as a Ranger, and knowing how powerful that Nighlok was, in addition to the threat of Master Xandred, caused her to start having second thoughts about how well she was doing and if she really was doing the right thing by being a Ranger.

And it was times like these that she truly missed her sister and the longing for dropping everything and returning home to help out her family tugged at her heart strings. But, she knew she was making Serena proud. She knew that she was making her family and her friends in the Shiba House proud. She was fully aware that for the longest time they were worried that she wouldn't be able to keep up with them. She often caught herself wondering if their comments, such as "You really rocked it today, Em", "Nice block, you're doing well", or "I can tell you've really improved" had an ulterior motive to it; to try and make her feel like she actually belonged.

But, Mike was the only one who was ever blunt with her; telling her what was on his mind without worrying that he was going to hurt her feelings. She was the same way with him and she knew that was why the two of them were such close friends. But, she didn't know if even he could fully understand how she felt with her circumstances of becoming a Ranger. All the years of being bullied and told she wasn't good enough; it would still affect her to this day, despite the brave face she put on for everybody.

Now that Serrator was around, she knew that she really had to work hard to help the team. She didn't want to let them down.

Emily raised the flute to her mouth, positioning her fingers across the holes just as she'd seen her sister do and learned to do herself, and blew. She played a familiar tune, at least to herself. It was one that—after Serena gave Emily her old flute and got a new one as a "get well soon" gift—the two of them played together. Sometimes they played together; trading off parts, in tandem, sometimes in turns, but their tunes were never separate.

Emily missed a note in her playing; shattering the peaceful world she visited every time she played. Her eyebrows crinkled together and she continued, making a noise of annoyance when she missed another note. She sighed heavily, slowly lowering her flute, staring at it for a moment in her hands. A soft meow made her look up and she stared at the orange neighborhood cat. Emily slowly slid her flute into her pocket, using her mouth to quietly beckon the cat forward.

"Come here, I won't hurt you," Emily said, offering a smile, holding out her hand. The orange cat slowly walked over to her. The cat sniffed Emily's hand, its whiskers tickling the palm of her hand before it stuck out its rough tongue, passing over Emily's hand in a few short strokes. Emily smiled, wrapping her arms around the cat's stomach, lifting it off the ground, holding it to her chest. "You've been out here all alone, haven't you?"

She smiled as a purr rumbled in the cat's throat. Emily then set the cat aside, getting to her feet. "Wait right here, I've got something for you to eat," she said with a warm smile before she made her way into the house. "Antonio; you got any extra fish?"

Antonio, who was unpacking his cooler of fish wrapped in damp paper towels merely glanced at the container, then at the freezer, and then at Emily. "I've got plenty of fish to last a lifetime!" he boasted, a wide grin on his face. "I had to make up for the few days that I've missed."

"You should see how big some of these are," Mike said with a grin, rubbing his hands together. "What do you need it for?"

Emily jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "Oh, that cat is back and it looks really hungry," she replied, keeping her eyes on Antonio. "I was going to let it inside, but—"

Antonio put his hands up in the air. "Don't worry about me, chica," he replied with a warm smile. "I already ran into the little fur ball on my way out this morning. We're tight." He then reached into the cooler and grabbed a fish, holding it out to her.

"Thanks," Emily replied with a smile, grabbing the paper towel from Antonio's hand. Her nose wrinkled and she made a face when the smell of the fish hit her nose. Holding the fish away from her body, she quickly made her way outside. As soon as she put the fish down on the ground, the cat jumped on top of it, starting to eat it. "Wow, you must be even more hungry than I thought." Emily crouched down beside the cat, running her fingers along its spine. The cat purred, arching it's back into her hand. "If you stick around, we'll be sure to feed you. In fact, Mia went out to get some cat food for you while she went grocery shopping."

She then got to her feet and went back into the house, noticing that Melody was now in the kitchen with Antonio and Mike. "Something tells me that cat is going to stick around for a while," she announced, wiping her hands on her jeans. "Is Kev around?"

"Yeah, why?" Melody asked, reaching for an apple in the middle of the counter. "Do you want me to get him for you?"

"No, no," Emily replied, waving her hands in the air. "I just don't want him to over hear us when we plan his party."

"Yeah, how are we going to get everything together and go decorate the pool area without him figuring out something is going on?" Antonio asked as he wiped his hands on a towel.

"We distract him," Melody replied as if it was a simple answer, which it really was. She took a bite of her apple before pointing it at him. "Think about it; what's the _one _thing that can preoccupy Kevin. Something that makes him pretty much go into tunnel vision and block everything else out."

"What else?" Mike asked with a roll of his eyes. "Training, training, and more training."

"Precisely," Melody replied with a nod. She took another bite of her apple. "Mia not back with the groceries yet?"

"When are you going to find time to make a cake?" Antonio asked, arching an eyebrow. "I mean, Kevin barely ever sleeps. I figured that out the hard way." He looked over at Mike and clicked his tongue when the Green Ranger coughed a word that sounded oddly like the word "stalker."

"I'll figure something out, I guess," Melody replied with a shrug. "So, what are you guys going to get him for his birthday?"

"Something swimming or Samurai related will be the best bet with him," Emily said with a frown. She never realized until just now, she didn't really know a lot about Kevin, except that he was an exceptional swordsman and that he loved to swim. _How much do we really know about each other_? She thought to herself as she looked at Mike, Antonio, and Melody in turn as they talked animatedly about what they were going to do for Kevin's birthday. _We call each other friends, but are we really? Would we really hang out with each other if we were never put in this house and we just randomly met_?

"You alright, Em?" Mike asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, "you're kind of quiet."

"Yeah, just thinking about home," Emily replied with a small smile. "I really appreciated the party you threw me on my birthday, so I can only hope we do a great job for Kevin."

"You guys threw and awesome party for me, so I don't see why not," Melody pointed out. Mike and Antonio nodded.

"I mean…we don't even really know if swimming is all that important to Kevin anymore," Emily said, twisting her fingers in her lap. "I mean…all he's focused on right now is swimming. Maybe he'll think the party is a waste of time."

"Em…_you_ were the one that came up with the idea of a party to begin with," Mike pointed out.

"I know…it's just…" she trailed off, giving a heavy sigh. "We're protected here in the Shiba House. What if we go to the pool and Moogers attack or something?"

"Serrator's that bad, huh?" Melody asked, frowning, a worried look in her eyes.

"You weren't there, Mel," Antonio said, using his foot to kick the top of his cooler shut. "There's no words that can describe how powerful that guy is."

"Or how creepy," Emily added, shuddering. "I could barely get any sleep last night. I kept hearing his voice in my head." She shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. She was still on edge from that fight, and still in pain. They had taken a brutal beating from Serrator and he didn't even seem like he was trying that hard. That _really _freaked her out.

"So, he's a little stronger than your average Nighlok. So what?" Mike said with a determined look on his face. "That doesn't mean we won't be able to take him out like all the other Nighlok. We're just going to have to train harder, that's all."

"Speaking of training," Jayden said as he walked into the kitchen, tightening his red belt around his waist, "Mel, I need you outside. Go and get changed."

"I was going to go over my work out ideas with Ji," Melody said, pointing over her shoulder with an apple. "And Antonio needed help with—"

"Later," Jayden interrupted her, "we can't waste any more time with that Nighlok out there. We have to get as much training in as possible." He then cracked his knuckles. "We need to be one, if not two, steps ahead of him." He then pulled his Samuraizer out of his pocket, tossing it to Antonio, who caught it against his chest. "Antonio, could you start working on the GPS feature for my Samuraizer?"

"Yeah, but Mentor wanted me to do something with the LightZord," Antonio replied, tossing the morpher back to his friend.

Jayden's eyebrows crinkled together in a confused look as he caught his Samuraizer. "Something wrong with it?" he asked; a concerned look on his face.

"According to Mentor, it hasn't been fully activated," Antonio replied with a frown. "But, I _was _kind of in a hurry when I was working on it."

"Antonio, you did your best," Emily spoke up, seeing the look on the Gold Ranger's face. Antonio was happy about pretty much anything and everything, but he was always his biggest critic, especially when it came to something that could help the Rangers out. "And you really helped us out in that battle."

"Yeah, dude, you were the only one who could lay a hand…or a blade really, on Serrator," Mike added with a grin. "You've saved our butts numerous times; don't sweat it. You'll figure this one out, too."

"We all believe in you, Antonio, don't forget that," Jayden added. Antonio gave a short nod before leaving the room, dragging his cooler behind him. Melody followed after him, telling Jayden that she would be outside in a few minutes. Jayden then turned towards Mike and Emily. "Mia back from grocery shopping yet?"

"No, but she should be back soon," Mike said as he stretched his arms over his head, wincing a little bit as he did so. Jayden nodded before leaving the kitchen, saying he was going to be outside. "Dude. Jayden's in 'Nothing-except-for-this-mission-matters' mode again."

"Can you blame him?" Emily asked, sitting down on the empty stool next to him.

"You ok?" Mike asked, giving her a worried look. "I heard you playing the flute earlier. Haven't heard you play in a while." He smiled. "It sounded great."

Emily's nose wrinkled. "I messed up," she admitted.

"I never noticed." Mike shrugged. "So, what's bothering you? You really only play your flute when something's wrong."

"Just thinking about my family," Emily replied after a moment of silence. "I mean, I knew this Power Ranger thing wasn't going to be easy, but—"

"Serrator?" Mike guessed and Emily nodded. "No worries, Em, we're all on edge because of him. I mean, Jaeger's hair is practically stuck standing on end when he's in his cat form. He's been patrolling the city more often as well." He then motioned to the spot Jayden was just standing in. "And you saw Jayden. He's back to his no nonsense attitude. This is clearly bigger than we all imagine. But, we'll get through it."

"I guess," Emily agreed half-heartedly. "He was just so creepy. And those things he was saying to Jaeger. He obviously wants something with Mel."

"Well, we already know that Xandred knows about the Pillars of Darkness," Mike reminded her, "so honestly, even though I know she hates being stuck here while we go and fight, is the best thing for Mel. Plus, she's still training and everything. Once she's back in action, we'll be unstoppable." He then gave her a quick one-armed hug. "And don't forget, you were the one that was able to take down that insulting Nighlok all by herself."

Emily smiled. She was proud of that moment; the moment where she truly felt like she deserved to be on the team. She knew she had gained the Rangers' respect facing the Nighlok alone, but she didn't know how she would handle doing it against, especially with Serrator. She needed to calm down and being around Mike did that, but not like being at her own home.

"Are you sure you're ok?"Mike asked. "I'm worried about you, Em. You haven't been your normal bubbly self lately."

"I'm ok, Mike, really," Emily replied. "I'm just accepting how hard it is to be a Ranger. But, I know I'm supposed to be here. I don't like it that Serena is so sick, but I know it was my destiny to be a Ranger."

"Smile, Em; it won't kill you," Mike stated as he got off of his seat as the front door bell rang, "and Serena won't hate you for it. You deserve to be happy while you're here."

She slid her hand into her pocket, feeling the smooth wood of the flute and sighed. That was the best she could do for the moment. She followed Mike to the front door and found Mia had already placed bags on the front steps and was going back to the car to get some more things.

"I've got a lot of great stuff for Kev's party," Mia announced as she slammed the passenger door shut, picking up two bags at her feet. "And Em, I got some of that cat stuff just in case the neighborhood cat came back."

"Oh, it did!" Emily said with a bright smile. "I just gave it some fish to eat." She noticed the paper towel with fish bones sitting on it, but she didn't see the cat anywhere. She looked around, wondering where the cat had gone before gathering up some of the bags that Mike couldn't bring inside. "Thanks, Mia. You're awesome."

Mia just smiled following her inside, using her foot to pull the door shut behind her. She spotted Kevin in the living room on her way to the kitchen. "So, I got some ingredients for Kevin's cake," Mia said in a hushed tone as she put the bags down on the counter. "I didn't know if he would like vanilla or chocolate so I got ingredients to make both."

"Considering how plain and boring Kevin is…I'd go with vanilla," Mike replied with a grin, seconds before he got smacked over the head with a stalk of celery. "Hey!"

"Be nice, it's his birthday after all," Emily said with a small laugh as she pulled a small food dish and cans of cat food out of the plastic bags. She looked over a box of cat food and peered at the back of the box. "I'm going to put some outside to see if the cat will come back."

She grabbed the food bowl that Mia bought and hurried outside. "Here kitty, kitty," she called, shaking the box of food before popping open the top. She didn't see any sign of the cat, but proceeded to leave its food outside before making her way back inside. "Now that Antonio's ok with the kitty, I figured we could let her hang around for a while."

"I think that's a good idea," Mia said as she started to put up the groceries. "It's all skin and bones; I'm surprised no one's put up any signs looking for it. I feel bad for the poor thing and—where's Mike? He was just here."

"Hey," Mike said, appearing when his name was called, motioning to the girls to follow him, "come check this out."

Mia and Emily exchanged glances but did as he asked, following him out of the kitchen. They stopped short when they saw Antonio and Mentor sitting side by side at a table in the training room, pouring over a book, talking in hushed voices, the LightZord sitting near them.

"Wow, it's strange to see them so buddy-buddy," Mia commented with a shake of her head.

"Mentor said he needed Antonio's help with the LightZord; that it wasn't properly activated or something like that," Emily said with a shake of her head. "But, why wouldn't he tell the rest of us what was going on?"

"Leave 'em alone, guys," Kevin called over to them, from his spot in the living room where he was reading, for the umpteenth time, _The Art of the Samurai Life_. "Whatever their doing is their business."

Mike merely glanced over at Kevin before making up his mind. "I've gotta know," he announced before walking over to them. "Hey guys, what's up?" He stopped in his tracks when Mentor shot out his hand in Mike's face accompanied by a loud "Sshhhh."

Mike raised an eyebrow, silently pushing Mentor's hand out of his face. Hearing a crunching sound, Mike noticed that Antonio was eating a bowl of trail mix. A grin slowly spread across Mike's face as he turned on his feet, motioning for Emily to give him the box of cat food that was still in her hands. Mike glanced at the back of the box as he silently stalked back over to the Gold Ranger.

He reached out a hand and slowly pulled the bowl off the table, filled it with cat food and put it back. Antonio, oblivious to what was going on, continued to eat the food, not realizing that it was replaced. Mike snorted, trying to cover his laughter as he turned around to slowly walk out of the room.

"Mike!" Mike stopped in his tracks, the smile instantly sliding from his face. "Have some."

Mike slowly turned on his heels and put his hand in the bowl that Mentor held out to him. Mike could tell by the look on Mentor's face that he wasn't going to get out of it. He picked up a few dry puffs and put them in his mouth, chewing slowly as the bad taste and smell filled his mouth. As she slowly turned back around to face Mia and Emily, the two girls burst out laughing.

"At least I got you to smile," he muttered around the mashed cat food, shuddering at the thought of swallowing it.

"You always do, Mike," Emily replied, her laughter slowly dying away into a smile. "Mia, I'll go put up the rest of the groceries."

"Thanks, Em," Mia said with a smile before turning back to Mike, giving him a confused look.

"Emily's been kind of out of it today," Mike replied in a quiet tone. "I was just trying to cheer her up."

"I can see how it'd be hard," Mia replied with a nod, "considering today marks the eighth year that Serena's been sick."

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Melody asked, peering down at the stop watch in her hand. The clock was going, timing Jayden in an endurance test. She was referring to their fight against Serrator. She could only imagine how bad it was for them to have to face off against Serrator. Words couldn't help her understand how big of a threat the new Nighlok was and it showed when the Rangers returned home, sluggish and looking to be in lots of pain. "Any better?"

"A little sore," Jayden admitted, between gasps of air, striking the practice dummy that sat in front of him with his shinai. "Don't worry."

Melody sighed, pressing the stop button on the stop watch. Jayden let out a noise of impatience in the back of his throat and slowly lowered the weapon in his hand, using the back of his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "You should rest, Jay," she commented, sliding the stopwatch on the rope around her neck. "You'll only hurt yourself more if you don't."

"I'm fine," Jayden replied, chest heaving. "Like I said, we can't waste any minute—"

"You all need to be in top shape if, and when, Serrator comes back," Melody interrupted him with a frown. "I don't understand why you continue to push yourself past your limit when in reality all it does is hurt you and the team."

Jayden stayed silent for a moment. He had always been one to push himself as far as he could go, whether or not he was injured. Nothing could stop him from doing so. Before the other Rangers came, he was the last line of defense in the city against the Moogers. He would always fight the Moogers sore from the fight the day before. Not much has changed except that he was the leader of a team, which meant that he had to work harder.

"Serrator," Jayden said, turning on his heel, pointing his shinai at her, he's working for Master Xandred. But, I'm having a hard time believing that someone like Xandred would let anyone else do his dirty work. I just have a bad feeling him."

"He's a Nighlok," Melody replied, raising her eyebrows. "Why would you have a good feeling about him?" Jayden's lips twitched into a brief smile. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Ah…sure," Jayden replied with a nod, "What's on your mind?"

"We haven't seen Dayu since that dream Nighlok," Melody said, "You think it's something to worry about?"

Jayden blinked. He hadn't thought about it at all. He remembered Dayu had said that she wasn't a part of Master Xandred's group out to destroy the Rangers. But, he also remembered that Dayu used to be Dahlia and used to be married to Deker. He couldn't deny that he had often wondered where she was. He had the thought, or rather worry, that she would come back and attack him because he had gotten rid of her love. But, he wasn't that concerned about it, not with the new threat that has come along.

"Honestly, no," Jayden said after he caught his breath. "I don't think it's really anything to be worried about." He paused and peered at her. "I thought for sure you were going to ask when you got off probation."

"No point," she replied with a shake of her head, "I deserve the punishment and I know that you and Mentor will talk it over when you think it's time for me to rejoin the team." She then let out a bitter laugh. "Not like it's the first time I've ever been out of commission anyway."

"I don't understand," Jayden said, tilting his head slightly to the side. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually _wanted_ to be off the team."

"Believe me, if there's anything in life I don't want to be, it's to stop being a Ranger once I already started," Melody commented, clicking her tongue. She then rubbed her forehead before locking eyes with him. "There are three ways to describe people with my kind of power, Jay."

She held up one finger. "First, there's the kind that are afraid of their own abilities or someone else's power, and they want to put an end to it for good." She held up a second finger. "Then there's the kind of person who chooses not to be afraid of their power, but embraces it and uses it to help people." She added a third. "And lastly, there's the kind of person who wants to use their abilities to do the whole 'take over the world' thing." She then gave him a hard look. "Guess which category I belong to."

Jayden didn't know what to say in response to that. He could easily place her in two of those categories, but not give a solid answer. There were times where, when he thought back, that he could place her in one of the first two, but he didn't really know or understand the extent of her powers or what she had to go through with them.

"Yeah, exactly," Melody replied after a moment of silence."Trust me; it's not as glamorous as you would think. It was cool at first, being able to manipulate the things around me was pretty awesome. And then reality hit when I used too much of it at one time. I don't think a day has gone by where I haven't wondered whether or not I was truly supposed to be a Ranger."

"I wouldn't have come looking for you if I didn't think you were capable of handling this," Jayden commented, playing with the shinai in his hands. "And that goes for all of you, Rangers." He then added in a low voice, "I just didn't think you'd become my friends while you did it.

Melody then cleared her throat, nodding towards the practice dummy. "We should get back to work." Jayden nodded as the back doors to the Shiba House burst open and Antonio walked out, whistling happily to himself, pulling his fishing cart behind him. "What's up?"

"We're going fishing!" Antonio replied, continuing his trek towards the back gate.

"No we're not," Mentor replied, striding after him. Antonio stopped, a confused, shocked, and horrified look quickly crossing his face. "We need to keep working on this." He held up the LightZord as he passed the Gold Ranger. "And we need some privacy."

"Ok," Antonio replied after a moment of silence. His shoulders had dropped, showing that he was upset that he wasn't going fishing, but he was perfectly content being out of the house, nonetheless. "See you guys later, I guess."

Jayden gave a short nod as the two of them left the backyard. He tossed Melody his shinai and she easily caught it in her hand, barely batting an eyelash. "Can _I_ ask _you _something?"

"It's only fair," Melody replied with a combination of a shrug and a head nod.

"How does it feel to be back?" Jayden asked, "Being a Ranger I mean."

"Well, it's kind of weird," Melody replied, scratching at her chin. "I mean, Jaeger and I…we've gone through so much during my previous stint as a Ranger and doing it again just made everything come flooding back. I feel like I'm being pulled in two different directions."

"With your Ranger life and your normal life," Jayden said with a nod, "especially with your family and friends living in Panorama, I can see why that's hard." He twisted his mouth to the side and added, "I can relate." He let the sentence hang in the air before he got back to work.

He was improving well with what Melody had wanted him to do, but he was still jerky in his movements. Having spent most of, if not all of his life, training with a sword, it was weird for him to try and fight without it and just use his hands and fists. The two of them were silent as Jayden tried over and over again to master the combination of punches and kicks that she wanted. After he landed on his back for the seventh time, did Melody finally start speaking again.

"You're still doing it wrong." Melody crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side.

"I'm aware," Jayden said, rubbing his lower back as he got to his feet. "Let me try again."

"After your punch-roundhouse kick combination, you end up with your stomach facing this way," Melody said, pointing to a spot over Jayden's shoulder. "Which is what you're supposed to do, if you keep turning so your front is facing this way," she then jerked her thumb over her shoulder and towards the house, "then you're allowing time for whoever you're facing to land a punch or a kick on you. I know it's weird, but try and continue facing this way."

Jayden merely nodded, and tried the combination again. Melody watched as Jayden backed up a few steps before sprinting forward. He pushed hard off the ground, jumping through the air. Briefly tapping the top of the practice dummy in front of him he did a back flip, and landed on his feet behind it, to finish up the combination with a strong kick to the dummy's back, causing it to fall over.

"Better," Melody said with a smile grabbing a towel and throwing it at him, "but I could tell you were tense. You need to relax."

"Me and 'relax' don't really go well together," Jayden replied with a small laugh as he grabbed the towel out of the air, starting to dab at his face and neck. He opened his mouth to say something else, but the Gap Sensor went off before he could, the other Rangers hurrying out seconds later. "What's up?"

"Mooger attack," Kevin replied and Jayden nodded. "But, we're getting worried. We thought Mentor would at least be back by now. He doesn't like to fish."

"Neither of them are answering their Samuraizers, either," Mia added with a frown. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"They're not fishing," Melody spoke up, earning confused looks from her friends. "Before they left, Mentor said they needed to work on the LightZord in private. I guess fishing was a cover up." She then rubbed her chin, deep in thought. "But, Antonio had already told us that Mentor needed him to work on the LightZord some more. So, why all the secrecy?"

"Let's hurry, it might be nothing," Jayden said to his team before turning towards Melody, "go get your Samuraizer out of storage; we might need to contact you." He saw something flash over Melody's face. "That doesn't mean I'm allowing you to join us in battle."

"Come on, dude, we need her and you know it," Mike said with a click of his tongue. "We only just managed without Antonio and we had Jaeger with us that time."

"Mike's right, Jayden," Emily spoke up, twisting her fingers in her lap. "We need as much power as we can get, especially with Serrator around. You wouldn't have let Antonio join the team if that wasn't true."

"Yes, but she _did_ break the rules we _all_ agreed to," Kevin replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Look, as long as she's on the Shiba estate, no Nighlok can come near her," Jayden said with an edge to his tone. "The Nighlok or the Moogers will notice she's not there."

"Hello! I'm standing right here," Melody said waving her hand in the air. "And you guys are wasting time. Go get the Moogers. I'll send Jaeger if you really need help." Mike opened his mouth to protest and Melody put up a hand to stop him as Jayden and Kevin hurried out of the backyard. Mia and Emily hesitated before following them. "Don't worry about it. I understand the consequences of my actions."

"I just don't think it's fair," Mike said with a slight shake of his head.

"You probably would've gotten the same punishment when you left to see your friends when that long armed Nighlok attacked," Melody pointed out. A muscle in Mike's jaw twitched. "Are you really going to go fight? I _really_ think you need to see a doctor."

"I'm fine," Mike replied stiffly. He turned to go, but Melody grabbed onto his arm, stopping him.

"You're not doing this to punish yourself are you? Not getting yourself checked out?" she asked, her blue eyes boring into his green ones. "Because if you are…that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my entire life." She lowered her voice. "And let me tell you, it's not worth it."

"Why would I need to punish myself?" Mike asked quietly.

"You tell me," Melody replied, just as quiet as he was.

"I'm _fine_," Mike repeated, pulling his arm out of her grasp. "Keep your ears open for our call."

* * *

Melody paced back and forth across the living room of the Shiba House, chewing on her thumbnail. She stared intently at her Samuraizer, which sat on one of the ottomans in the room. "Come on, ring!" she cried. She nearly jumped when it did in fact do as she asked. She grabbed her Samuraizer and flipped it open with her thumb. She saw a flash of pink on the display before holding it up to her ear.

"It's about time, Mia," Melody said into the phone as she stopped pacing. "I've practically worn a hole in the floor. What's up?"

"_Bad news_," she said morosely and Melody felt her stomach lurch.

"What is it?" she asked, in a quiet voice, her mind working at warp speed, thinking of every possible bad thing that could happen. "What's happened?"

"_They're gone._"

Melody slowly lowered herself onto an ottoman as Mia explained to her what they saw. "What do you mean 'gone'?"

"_We found Antonio's fishing stuff, and the LightZord, but neither he nor Mentor are anywhere_."

"So you think they were ambushed?" Melody asked, briefly closing her eyes. She pulled her Samuraizer away from her face, licked her lips and let out a shrill whistle before replacing it.

"_We're pretty positive. We found a spool of Antonio's fishing line, but that didn't lead us anywhere. Whoever took him must've noticed and cut the line or something. We're on our way back; we'll be home soon_."

"Sure, I'll see you then," Melody replied, nodding, even though she knew her friend couldn't see it. As she slowly closed her Samuraizer, Jaeger walked into the room, looking uncomfortable. "We've got a problem," she said to him.

"Two," he replied shortly. "What's that cat doing here?" He wasn't asking in a curious way, more like he was annoyed by its existence. This was odd as he was part cat himself.

"It's hungry and Mia bought it some food," she replied, her eyebrows lowering slightly. He was never one to act like another animal couldn't come into his territory, so this was weird for her. She noticed he'd been acting strange lately, but never actually questioned him about it.

"It can't stay here," Jaeger replied, an unknown look coming to his eyes. "You can't let it stay here. You can't."

"It's just a cat, Jaeger, kind of like you, it's harmless," Melody replied before shaking her head. "Whatever. Anyway, that was the others. Jayden and Mentor were ambushed. They don't know where they are."

"Do you want me to-?"

"No," Melody interrupted him "They're on their way back here. They had found some of Antonio's fishing line, but it didn't lead them to where they were taken." She let out a heavy sigh, raking her fingers through her hair. "Go patrol the city again, just in case." She then gave him an odd look. "I'll go see if I can get rid of the cat while you're gone."

"…Thanks," Jaeger muttered after a moment of awkward silence. He looked like he wanted to say something else, a pained expression sat on his face, but instead he shook his head and walked out of the room.

"_Do you understand, Melodia?"_

"Understand, what?" Melody all but snapped, turning to face the woman in the pale blue dress that appeared by her. "That my friend and Mentor was kidnapped? Yeah, I get that alright." She peered at the Purple Ranger, a thoughtful look on her face. Melody grabbed at her head as it suddenly pounded with pain. "I know I have to stop the Sanzu River water from flooding the Earth but, why can't you just tell me _how_? I don't know how to help. Not when I'm out of commission."

_"You're more important than you think, Melody Porter. Don't forget that. You were meant to be a Samurai Ranger for a reason. Don't give up hope; follow your heart._"

"What does that even mean?" Melody asked, annoyed.

But, she got no answer in reply as Aura gave her a small, sad, smile and disappeared in front of her eyes. Melody made a noise of frustration. The only thing her heart was telling her then was that she needed to help her friends find Antonio and to get some Advil.

* * *

**A/N: **In case any of you are confused who Aura is, she was previously named Rhiannon and made her first appearance in the chapter, "_The Black Box_" and her second appearance in the chapter "_Cracking Shells_." She'll be more important as time goes on; and you'll be seeing more of Dayu as well. Plus, everything with Jaeger will be revealed soon.

Sorry, I didn't update before. I got caught up in the hurricane (I'm ok, don't worry). That, and I've got a few more ideas for this fic so I was taking the time to see if I could fit it chronologically with what I have in mind for the rest of the story, as well as the order of episodes I'm basing chapters off of.

Thanks for reading. I don't own Power Rangers.

**~MysticMelody101~**


	14. Chapter 14: The Rescue

**.:Chapter Fourteen – The Rescue:.**

* * *

Jaeger paced the length of the common room; tail swishing angrily as he kept up a low snarl. His ears twitched now and then as distant sounds reached his ears. He could sense Antonio and knew that he and Mentor were still ok, but he wanted to go out and look for them.

He respected melody enough to do what she said, when she said it. He was still her guardian after all and grew up learning that he was to follow her orders at all times. But, their relationship had grown quickly over the years; she didn't see him as just her guardian but as one of her best friends and she was his best friend as well.

And that's why it was hard for him to make his decision; disobey her orders and go find Antonio, or to do what she had specifically told him and to stay put. He knew that she was worried about Antonio and hated how she couldn't actively take part in looking for him outside of the Shiba House. And that was a mystery to him as well. For as long as she's known him, Melody always told him that she was never one to follow the rules, so he didn't understand what it was that made her do it now.

"Do you ever sleep?"

Jaeger stopped pacing and turned to face Jayden, who walked into the room, flipping on a lamp. He had a cup of tea in his hands and was wearing his pajamas; red plaid pants and a light red t-shirt. He curled up into a chair as Jaeger moved to sit down as well.

"Yes," Jaeger replied with a nod, "but not recently. Especially not tonight."

"…Me too," Jayden replied with a nod.

Jaeger blinked in surprise. Mentor and Antonio were gone; the two people Jayden cared about the most; the latter having never left him since he was born. Jaeger never stopped to think about how it was affecting the Red Ranger. Jayden was never one to show his emotions, but Jaeger could tell he was worried whether he showed it through his face or not.

"They're ok," Jaeger offered, running his fingers through his hair, "I can tell."

"How?" Jayden asked, giving him a curious look. "I know with your powers…both you and Mel can sense things about people. But, how do you do it?"

Jaeger shrugged. "It's not that you do it, you just feel it," he replied. "The stronger bond you have with people, the easier it is." He peered at Jayden. "It's hard to explain…it's kind of like how if you fall asleep in your car, but you wake up right before you get home because you just know…somewhere deep down that you're home."

"I guess," Jayden replied before taking a long sip of his tea. "I just hate not knowing."

"We don't know everything," Jaeger pointed out to him. "There'd be no point in having parents or teachers if we already knew everything."

"Well…I know something's bothering you," Jayden said after a moment of silence, placing his cup down onto the table in front of him. He watched the steam from his tea rise into the air. "Something's bothering Mel, too."

Jaeger cracked a smile, showing his sharp teeth. "At this point, there's not a lot that _doesn't_ bother her," the guardian replied, tucking his legs underneath his body.

"I've noticed since she got rid of the Darkness from the Black Box," Jayden commented, resting his elbows on his knees, leaning forward in his seat. "She's been distracted a lot lately. Ever since—"

"Ever since I got the Darkness out of the Black Box," Melody finished for him, stepping into the room, instantly gaining Jaeger and Jayden's attention. She was also in her pajamas; a long sleeved white shirt with the number 10 on the front and back in black numbers, and purple shorts. Her hair was up in pig tails. "And here I thought I was doing a good job keeping this a secret."

"All secrets end up being revealed sooner or later," Jaeger commented as Jayden shifted in his seat.

"Yeah, I know," Melody replied, rubbing at her eyes. "Anyway, I couldn't sleep. Jayden kept pacing so I kicked him out of the room before I realized I had been tossing and turning for a while."

She sat down across from Jayden. "When I got rid of the Darkness in the Black Box, I saw something; like a vision. At least, I thought it was at the time." Jayden pressed his lips together, leaning forward even more in his seat. "I saw Serrator and Deker and Dayu, but I didn't know it was Serrator at the time. The city was flooded with Sanzu River water and they wanted me to take their side, saying that it was my destiny and that I was meant for it."

"And this is going back to the Pillar of Darkness that you told us about when you first arrived?" Jayden asked.

"That's what Jaeger and I thought, yes," Melody replied with a nod. "But, there was something else. There was a woman there; in a pale blue dress. I couldn't see her face, but her voice really soothed me and made me feel like things were going to be ok."

"What'd she say?" Jayden asked.

"That I could stop all of it, with your guys' help of course," Melody replied with a shrug. "If not, the world will be attacked by an army of Darkness. But, if we follow our hearts everything will be ok." A pained look then crossed her face and she rubbed at her temples.

"You ok?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah, just a headache," Melody replied with a nod. Jaeger gave her a look, but fell silent, instead turning his attention to the doorway when he heard shuffling footsteps and Mike walked in, yawning. He stopped short when he saw the three of them there.

"What are you doing up?" he asked them, moving to sit on the floor.

"Can't sleep," Jayden replied, turning to face the Green Ranger. "Why are you up?"

"I always play video games at this hour," Mike replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He was shirtless, but had on dark green pans and ninja turtle slippers. "It helps relax me and gets my mind off stuff." He scratched at his eyebrow with his thumb. "This is all my fault guys; they wouldn't have come here if I hadn't been messing around."

"You _finally_ figured that out, huh?" Kevin asked, walking into the room. He had on a long sleeved dark blue shirt, buttoned up to his neck, and white and blue striped pants.

"Enough," Jayden said as Kevin sat down on the couch. "All that matters now is finding Mentor and Antonio." The two Rangers looked at each other, but didn't say anything. "Plus, knowing Mentor, the house would've been too crazy for them to get anything done so he probably planned to leave ahead of time."

"What were they doing with the LightZord anyway?" Mike asked with a shake of his head.

"That's what I want to know," Jayden commented, looking across the room at the LightZord, its faceplate flashing once.

"You guys can't sleep either?" Mia asked as she and Emily walked into the room, their pajamas covered in robes in their respective colors. Emily was holding a stuffed ape in her arms. She got a collective mumble in reply. "As long as we're all up, I guess I'll make some tea for everyone."

"I already have some, thanks," Jayden said, indicating to his cup, giving a nod of thanks.

"Ooh, could you get me something to eat while you're up?" Mike asked, shooting his hand into the air. He smiled and rubbed his stomach as it growled loudly. "I always eat at this time, too." His smile slowly faded when he saw the look on Kevin's face. "Or, I'll just help you." He gave a sheepish grin and got up to help the Pink Ranger as Emily squeezed onto the couch between Kevin and Melody.

"So, I've been up all night, thinking about Antonio's fishing spool," Kevin said to fill in the silence that blanketed the room. "I don't think the Moogers purposefully led us in the wrong direction; they're not too bright and I don' t think they'd start being smart now."

"So, you think we were going in the right direction?" Emily asked, bushing her blonde locks away from her face. "But the fishing line just stopped—"

"Because it ran out of fishing line," Kevin finished for her. "Like I said, Moogers aren't smart. Antonio must've dropped it when he was being carried, or dragged, or whatever away. He was sending us in the right direction."

"But, we didn't see anything when we got to that huge valley," Emily pointed out to him as Mike and Mia returned. Mia was carrying a tray of tea, balancing cups on the tray. Mike was munching on a bowl of cereal. "I don't know where else they could've taken Antonio and there's no way to find out."

"He built his morpher out of a cell phone, right?" Mia asked as she passed out tea to everybody before curling up in the chair. Everyone nodded. "Well, don't cell phones nowadays have tracking devices in them? GPS-es?"

"Antonio used an old phone," Jaeger spoke up for the first time in a while, shaking his head. "It's not like an iPhone or a Blackberry or whatever those new phones are called now."

"He wasn't able to start programming our Samuraizers to enable tracking as well," Melody added, "Before he could, Mentor wanted him to look at the LightZord again." She then got up and went to retrieve the LightZord. "What was it about this that needed to be fixed anyway?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the bottom portion of the LightZord, where discs were shot out, glowed brightly.

Melody frowned as she peered into it. "I think there's something stuck in here," she mused aloud, turning the gap towards the floor, shaking the zord. She then grabbed the spoon out of Mike's hand, ignoring his loud "Hey" in protest. She then started jabbing it into the LightZord, trying to pry out whatever was stuck in it.

"You think that's what Mentor and Antonio were working on?" Mia asked before she blew cool air on her tea, before taking a large gulp from it. "What do you think it is?"

"What else can fit in there?" Kevin asked. "A disc. But, what kind?"

"There are plenty of discs that have been lost over the years," Jayden said as he got out of his seat. He hurried out of the room, to return moments later with a book from Mentor's archives. He flipped through the pages before setting the book down onto the table. Kevin instantly reached for it, letting out a low whistle as he flipped through the pages as well. "See? Compared to all of the discs, that we know of, in here, Mentor and I have only found a handful of them since I started my training. And you guys had the standard discs passed down through your families. Except for Mel."

"There's got to be a way to find Mentor and Antonio," Mike said after he loudly slurped some cereal into his mouth. He wiped at his chin with the back of his back. "Maybe…" He turned to face Jayden. "Is there a way to trace how much symbol power has been used in an area or something?"

"I don't think Antonio has his morpher on him to use it," Jayden replied, "Remember, he nor Mentor answered when we tried to get in contact with them." Mike snapped his fingers, nodding. "But, I think Kevin is onto something."

"I just don't understand how we were being lead in the right spot, but we didn't see any other evidence that Mentor and Antonio were there," Emily said with a shake of her head.

"Maybe that's what the Nighlok wanted," Jaeger spoke up, rubbing his chin. "Like Kevin said, the Moogers aren't that smart so a Nighlok has to be behind it. Maybe they were there…but they didn't want you to see they were there until they wanted you to."

"So, you mean like they made a mirage or a force field or something that we couldn't see through?" Mia asked.

"Precisely," Jaeger replied with a nod. "They're obviously using Mentor and Antonio to lure the rest of us there; so they didn't want us to rush in and try and save them before they were ready for us."

"But, what would they need to prepare?" Mike asked around a mouthful of food.

"A second ambush," Jayden said with a heavy sigh. "That has to be it; I wouldn't put it past 'em."

"Ugh, I can't get this!" Melody said with a growl of frustration, practically throwing the spoon at Mike's head. "Whatever it is; I think you'd actually have to use the LightZord to get it out."

"Which we need Antonio for," Mia said with a sigh. "I mean, the zord has the word 'light' in its name."

"Maybe we could trick it into working," Jaeger said as he got up and started to pace again. "All of you have specific elements that you control. Jayden has fire, Mia has wind, but we can each still use symbol power to use it, albeit it won't be as strong. Such as Mike could use symbol power for fire, but since he's not the fire wielder, it won't be as strong as any fire that Jayden could conjure."

"Let's say, hypothetically, that the Nighlok are playing some kind of trick on us with our eyes," Kevin said, holding back a yawn as best as he could, "some kind of illusion. How are we going to break it?"

"With light," Jaeger replied with a smile. "Light deflects off of everything, but nothing moves faster than it. Have you ever burned something, like leaves with sunlight and a magnifying glass?" The Rangers nodded.

"I think I know what you're getting at," Jayden said, his eyes lighting up, giving Jaeger a nod of thanks. "But, we're going to need all the sleep we can get to be rested for tomorrow. We're going to get Mentor and Antonio back."

"Are you sure?" Emily asked, a worried look on her face. "The house is so different without them here."

"I'm sure, Em," Jayden replied with a nod. "Just get some sleep. We all need it." He got to his feet, stretching his arms over his head and the other Rangers followed suit. Mike continued to eat his cereal as he made his way to the room he and Kevin shared as the girls slowly disappeared down the hall.

"Jaeger?" Jayden asked, turning towards the guardian who hadn't moved from his spot. Jaeger turned his cat like eyes towards the Red Ranger. "One more thing."

"Go ahead," Jaeger said with a nod.

"Something's bothering you as well," Jayden commented, "Anything you'd like to share?" Jaeger stayed silent, but his ears twitched when he heard a soft yowl. "It has to do with that cat doesn't it."

"Azure," Jaeger replied, with a short nod. "That's her name. She's back, by the way."

"I'll feed her before bed," Jayden replied, briefly glancing at the front door. "Azure?"

Jaeger nodded. "That's what she told me."

"You can talk to felines?" Jayden asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Something like that," Jaeger replied mysteriously. "Anyway, what's bothering me; it's not anything like what Mel's been through, but it does greatly affect her and this team." Jaeger let out a heavy sigh. "I haven't told her yet because I don't know how she'll react to it as it's a direct consequence to my actions." His lips twitched. "I will tell you, I'll tell you all; but not right now. I want to tell Mel first, but it's tough to find a good time with her."

Jayden nodded and reached out a hand to clap Jaeger on the shoulder before making his way to bed; his head spinning. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Antonio opened his eyes, squinting at the pale grey light of the morning. He blinked a few times, wondering why his head hurt and why he couldn't move his arms, or legs. He shifted slightly and groaned when he realized how sore his muscles were. He shook his head, and looked down, his heart dropping when he saw the rope bound around his chest, arms, waist, and legs.

He craned his neck to feel the coarse rope dig into the back of his neck, and he realized that he was bound around his neck too. Tilting his head back even farther, he saw that he was tied up to a large black pillar. Hearing a groan behind him, Antonio twisted his head to the side and caught a brief glance of cloth from Mentor's clothes.

It all suddenly came back to him. He was working on the LightZord when they were attacked by Moogers. Moogers were lying around him, some sleeping, some marching back and forth across the vast open area he was being held. There were more Moogers than Antonio had ever seen in his life.

He patted at his pockets, frowning when he didn't feel the usual lump of his morpher. _ Oh, no. Jayden's going to kill me if they find out I lost it again. _He continued to pat his pockets, and realized something else was missing. "Wait, where's my—" Antonio trailed off, coughing.

He swallowed thickly, frowning when his throat burned slightly. He worked his tongue around his mouth, trying to collect some spit to swallow. "Mentor?" he asked quietly. He didn't get a respond, so he tried again, louder. "Mentor."

"Mmmm?"

"You ok?" Antonio asked.

"Yes," Mentor Ji replied. Antonio felt his ropes tighten a little bit as he heard a shuffling sound as Mentor tried to get into a more comfortable position. "Do not worry. The other Rangers will know we're gone."

"I know," Antonio replied with a nod. _Jayden won't stop until he finds us; I know he won't. It's just a matter of time_.

"I must say, I've underestimated you," a low voice, gravelly voice said. Antonio jerked his head around, wincing in pain, and was able to catch a brief glimpse of the Nighlok, Eyescar; facing Mentor. "I wasn't expecting that an old man like you could really hold your own. I was impressed….a little." The ground crunched over the Nighlok's feet as he stalked over to Antonio.

Antonio grit his teeth in pain, letting out a choked cry, when the Nighlok grabbed a handful of Antonio's hair, forcing his head back to look up at the monster. Antonio recoiled as the Eyescar's breath washed over his face.

"What do you want from us, Nighlok?" Antonio choked out.

"I got what I want," Eyescar replied with a sigh, "the two of you. You're for bargaining, nothing more, northing less," Eyescar replied, releasing his hair. "You're the catch of the day, if you will. You're the bait I'm going to use to lure the rest of your color coded friends. The main reason we're keeping you alive is because we need the Red Ranger. Once we destroy him…well, who knows what'll happen next." Eyescar let out a short laugh. "Maybe we'll let you watch."

"What makes you so sure Jayden will accept the deal?" Antonio asked, struggling against his ropes. He stopped once he heard Mentor groan in pain. Antonio could feel the rope scratching as his bare skin. "He's—"

"The Red Ranger," Eyescar replied with a grin. "As well, my sources tell me that he's become quite…attached to you pathetic wannabes. That you make a team or whatever." Antonio felt his upper lip curl. "I'm sure he'll do whatever he can to ensure your safety; even sacrifice himself." The Nighlok tilted his head to the side when Antonio didn't answer. "Did I strike a nerve? I'm right aren't I?"

Antonio dropped his gaze to his knees. He knew that the Nighlok was right, but he wasn't going to openly agree with him. Jayden did everything he could to protect the citizens of Panorama. Whether not Jayden wanted to admit it, Antonio has seen what living in a house with teenagers had done to him. He had opened up; made jokes here and there, and was learning to have fun all the while keeping his sights on the mission. He knew that since they were best friends Jayden would do anything to help him.

"Ahhh, yes," Eyescar said, stretching his arms in the air, "look like all we can do now is play the waiting game." He looked over at Antonio when he heard grunts and groans of pain coming from him. "Struggle all you like, you'll just slowly strangle yourself and the old geezer here, that much faster."

"Don't talk about Mentor like that," Antonio snapped, his eyes set in a harsh glare. His chest heaved from how hard he pulled against the rope and how mad he was.

"It's ok, Antonio," Mentor said in a quiet, calm voice. Antonio let out a heavy breath of air, slumping back against the pillar. "Just be calm."

"Yeah, be calm and watch as we destroy your precious friends," Eyescar said with a laugh. "MOOGERS!" The sleeping Moogers jolted awake, some being kicked awake by other Moogers before standing at attention. "Be on the lookout; the Rangers will be coming from the only entrance to the valley." He turned around and pointed a gray object at the hills. "From _right there_."

"My morpher!" Antonio gasped, spotting the missing object in the Nighlok's hands. "Give it back."

"Aww, would the wittle baby like to call his fwiends?" the Nighlok taunted, stalking over to Antonio, waving his morpher in his face. "Well you can't! The mirage is down so there's no point in giving it back to you. But thank you for cooperating and creating it in the first place."

Eyescar started to pace, tossing Antonio's morpher up and down. "Anyway, once your friends arrive, my army of Moogers will be waiting with open arms." He then threw his head back and started to laugh.

"This is all my fault," Antonio muttered, his shoulders slumping. "If I hadn't been so scared of that fish…I wouldn't have had to rush with the LightZord…and we wouldn't have had to leave the Shiba House." He slowly shook his head back and forth. "I keep making mistakes and hindering this team."

"Don't worry," Mentor Ji interrupted Antonio, "we just have to keep faith that the team will find us. And this is not your fault. It was an ambush."

Antonio nodded, managing to wiggle his hands into his pockets. His eyes suddenly shot open wide. "But—"

"Antonio," Mentor said, an edge to his tone. "Everything will be ok."

"I know, it's just," Antonio paused as he started to smile, "we don't need faith. Remember my fishing spool?"

"Mhm."

"I accidentally dropped it," Antonio replied, keeping an eye on the Nighlok as he talked. "I wonder if someone named Jayden will find it."

"This time you've surprised even me, Antonio," Mentor said, a smile coming to his face. He sighed before speaking again. "You know, when you first came back, I thought you were going to be trouble." Antonio felt himself start to smile. "I'm glad to say I was wrong."

"Y-you are?" Antonio asked; his voice cracking.

"Yes," Mentor Ji replied with a nod, although he knew Antonio couldn't see him. "You deserve your post on the team. Antonio, you are truly worth your weight in—"

Antonio chuckled and finished for him, "In gold." He licked his lips as his smile slowly faded. "But, the Rangers could've gotten just as far. I'm just another Ranger that came in to help."

"You re-programmed the Octozord and used it to save Emily's spirit, you finished of the Black Box, something that no one could do before, and unleashed immense power to our disposal," Mentor reminded him. "And you were able to fix the LightZord, and in turn, give us the Shark Disc. No one else could've done that."

"The Shark Disc?" Antonio repeated, his eyes flying open. "_That's _what's in there?"

"The LightZord wasn't operational, but not fully functional," Mentor explained to him. "The LightZord was badly damaged in the last battle against Xandred, while the Shark Disc was inside, causing it to get stuck. Jayden's father never had the chance to use it before…" Mentor trailed off and Antonio slowly nodded.

"In case we don't make it out of this," Antonio said after a moment of silence, "thank you for putting up with me: even when I was a kid and distracted Jayden from his training."

"Mmm, only now I have to deal with you distracting Mel," Mentor commented. He laughed quietly when he heard Antonio make a choked noise.

"You know about that?" Antonio asked, shock in his voice.

"I'm not as old as you may think I am," Mentor replied with a roll of his eyes. "I can see everything that's going on in the house. You are indeed younger than the past team of Rangers when they first arrived at the house; I knew something like this would happen." He then let out a heavy sigh.

"It was Jayden who came up with the ideas of the rules and convinced me to put them in place. The only thing he's concerned about is defeating Xandred and I don't blame him at all. But, at the same time, I know how hard it must be for you guys to be away from your families; you only have each other to rely on. It was bound to happen and you can't help how you feel."

Antonio blushed, his lips twitching into a smile. "Anyway, I want to thank you for believing in me, too."

"What _I _believe in," Eyescar snarled, suddenly appearing in Antonio's line of vision, causing him to jump, "is capturing the rest of your crew." He then let out a long sigh. "Get ready, Moogers. As soon as we see the Rangers over the valley, we'll lower the barrier."

* * *

"How long have you been up?" Mia asked, flipping on the lights in the kitchen.

Melody, who was hunched over the LightZord with a screwdriver in one hand and kitchen tongs in the other, and a flashlight in her mouth, blinked rapidly at the sudden burst of light. She spat the flashlight out of her mouth.

"Don't scare me like that," she said, putting a hand over her heart before dropping the tools onto the table. "And I've been up for an hour."

"You should've gotten some sleep," Mia commented, moving to sit beside her as Melody rubbed at her eyes. "Samurai need their rest."

"Well, consider me on bed rest," Melody replied with a small laugh, "considering I'm not going anywhere for a while." Mia couldn't help but smile. "This thing is driving me crazy. I _know_ there's something stuck in here."

"Well, did you try pushing the button on the back?" Mia offered and Melody gave her a 'duh' look.

"If it was that easy, I wouldn't have been up for the past hour trying to pry this thing out of here, looking like a mad scientist," she replied. "Well, it's that, and I'm waiting for Kevin's cake to finish baking." She jerked her thumb over the oven."

"What kind of cake are you making?" Mia asked with a small frown; one that Melody didn't miss.

She knew that Mia loved to bake and cook for her friends every opportunity she got, but they had no idea how to tell her that her food was bad. And Melody didn't think any of them could pretend for that much longer. It threw her for a loop when Kevin practically spilled the beans when trying to help Antonio get over his fear of fish, and Mia thought that he was just playing along to get Antonio over his fear. None of them had the heart to correct her.

"Vanilla, what else?" Melody asked, grabbing the flashlight to turn it off before grabbing the screwdriver and tongs again. "Boring person deserves a boring cake."

"Mel," Mia said with a sigh and Melody, for a second time, stopped what she was doing.

"Hmm, you're using your 'Mother Voice'," Melody said using air quotes, turning to face the Pink Ranger. "I'm about to get a lecture aren't I?"

"I just don't get why you and Kevin can't get a long," Mia blurted out. _No sense in beating around the bush. I don't get how they don't see that they're making each other miserable_. "All you two have been doing is fighting."

"Not all the time," Melody replied simply with a shake of her head.

"Could've fooled me. You're always on his case?" Mia asked, a confused look on her face. "You and Mike. We could be spending all this time really working together as a team."

"You mean, like how everything was before I got here," Melody said with a slow nod.

"That's not what I meant," Mia replied, scratching at her forehead.

"I know what you mean, and I get our point," Melody said, her facial expression softening a little bit. "You don't get it, Mia." She then let out a sigh. "I know I'm not the easiest person all the time, but I do pride myself in how I put others before myself. I'm not perfect, no one is. You're born, you die and you make a lot of mistakes in between and I made a big mistake. So when Kevin made that comment that I wasn't being a good friend, it really hurt me. Because I knew that what he said was true."

Mia's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my god!" she cried, her hand flying to cover her mouth. "You like Kevin?!" A mix of horror, shock, and amusement crossed Melody. "When a girl hates a guy the way you hate Kevin, that really means she likes you. That's basic kindergarten psychology."

Melody laughed a little bit. "Ew, no," she replied. "I mean, not 'ew', but he's not my type. And I don't hate Kevin if that's what you really think." Mia gave her a 'yeah-right' look, to which Melody gave a serious look in reply. "Really; I don't hate Kevin."

"Then why-?" Mia instantly trailed off when Kevin walked into the room to get himself a bowl of cereal. "Morning, Kevin."

"Moring," Kevin replied with a smile. He then sniffed the air. "What are you making?"

"A cake," Melody replied and Mia elbowed her in the side. Kevin arched an eyebrow at the two of them as he went to grab a box of cereal and the carton of milk. "I get bored in this house pretty easily. Anyway, which do you prefer; chocolate or vanilla?"

"Vanilla," Kevin replied.

Melody turned towards Mia, giving her a triumphant look and mouth, "Boring. Told you so." Mia just rolled her eyes as Jayden, Emily, and Mike marched in dressed, and wide awake. "Doth mine eyes deceive me? Mike is actually awake early in the morning?"

"We have no time to lose if we want to get our friends back," Mike replied, grabbing the cereal bowl from Kevin's hands, putting it down on the table. "Which means no breakfast; we've got to get going."

"Need I remind you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?" Kevin asked, giving Mike an annoyed look as the Green Ranger grabbed the LightZord.

"We can't waste any time, Kevin," Jayden said with a slight shake of his head.

"You guys get going and I'll have brunch ready for you when you get back with plenty of things to keep you in tip top shape," Melody said giving Kevin an overenthusiastic thumbs up. Kevin snorted, shaking his head, but didn't say anything else as he turned to follow Jayden out of the house. "Do you want me to send Jaeger with you?"

Jayden stopped, looking like he was going to protest. He then closed his mouth for a moment before saying, "Yeah, I think that'll be a good idea. Come on, I'll explain my idea on the way."

Soon, the Rangers were back in the tunnel they had entered the day before. Using the LightZord as a source of light, they slowly made their way along the dark area, when Moogers suddenly jumped out at them. Fortunately, the Moogers always make noise before they attacked, so the Rangers had just enough time to brace themselves before they started to fight back. They were putting up a good fight, but were struggling a little as more Moogers appeared for everyone one they destroyed.

"Hey, check out the LightZord," Jayden called as a flash of light shot past his head. "It looks like it's trying to find Antonio."

"It must know that he's around here," Emily said before grunting in pain as she was kicked in the stomach.

"Could it stand still?" Kevin asked, breathing heavily. With the LightZord bouncing around the place, he could barely see the Moogers coming at him in every direction. Suddenly, there was a loud clattering sound. "What was that?"

"Lighty's been drop kicked," Mike said, somewhere to his right. "Mia', it's near you."

"I can't reach him," Mia called back; "There are too many-_ugh_."

Mike felt something rush past him and caught a glimpse of Kevin rushing over to Mia to help her out in her fight. "Guys, give me some space, I'm going for the LightZord." Mike then dropped his arm and took a running start before launching himself into the air. A Mooger let out a squeal of pain as Mike landed on top of it. "And the littlest piggy cried, 'Wee, wee, wee' all the way home'." Mike laughed at his joke as he rolled off of the Mooger. He reached for the LightZord and gripped it tightly in his hands.

"Got it," he called out. He then shook the LightZord by his ear. "Whatever's jammed in here, I think it just got knocked loose."

"Punch it, Mike," Jayden directed, pressing a Mooger against a concrete wall before striking it with his Spin Sword. Mike jammed the heel of his palm into the back of the LightZord and a disc shot out of the slot at the bottom, striking each Mooger as it passed before it sailed onto Jayden's sword. "I knew it! Way to go, Antonio."

Jayden grinned behind his helmet and gave the disc a hard push. "Shark Attack Mode," Jayden cried out, spinning in a circle, striking the ring of Moogers around him. They exploded in a burst of flames as a red vest, much like the white vest when they went into Super Mode, and a red blade with a shark's head appeared. "Now we can unleash the Shark Disc's powers whenever we want."

Jayden stalked towards the Moogers as they stumbled and tripped over each other trying to get away. He sung his Shark Sword around, watching as the end extended and bent this way and that to strike every Mooger within reach. "When you mess with my friends, you swim in dangerous waters."

"Check that out," Mike said with a low whistle of appreciation as he walked around Jayden, admiring the suit. "Forget the Black Box, I want to test this baby out."

"Mike; now's not the time," Kevin said, placing a hand on Mike's shoulders. "We have to find Mentor and Antonio."

"Let's roll," Jayden agreed, taking off at a run. They reached the end of the tunnel and came to the same clearing they were at before. "Looks like everything's ok, here."

"They're all here, I can sense it," Jaeger said appeared by their sides as he dropped out of the sky. The Rangers marveled at the wings that slowly slid into the slits on his shirt. He reached for his sword, pulling it out of its sheath. "Sorry I'm late."

"You're here now," Jayden replied, turning to look at the guardian. Jaeger gave a short nod. "That's all that matters. So we're in the right spot?"

"Yeah," Jaeger replied with a nod. "You got the LightZord?"

"All fired up and ready to roll," Mike said, handing it over to Jayden. "Do your thing, dude."

Jayden nodded and the front of the LightZord started to glow. Once the front was charged up, a beam of light shot out of the front of the LightZord, striking the side of an invisible wall. Jaeger fired off a charged up attack a moment later, striking the weakened area with his own attack. The image in front of them flashed a few times until the Rangers caught a glimpse of a whole wall of Moogers, some carrying black battle flags, all facing away from them.

"Whoa," Mia gasped in shock. "I've never seen those many Moogers before."

"They're all facing away from us," Emily commented, her eyes widening behind her helmet. She suddenly let out a gasp. "Look! There's Mentor and Antonio; right at the center."

"They must think we're coming from the other direction," Jaeger commented as the image disappeared and the Rangers were once again staring at an open, empty space. "I guess the Nighlok isn't that smart, either."

"They're expecting us along the valley," Kevin replied.

"Didn't we already fill out quota for the day?" Mike asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If we charge down there, we'll still be outnumbered a hundred to one," Emily said, turning towards Jayden.

"True," Jayden replied, sounding the least bit worried. He balanced the Shark Sword on his shoulder, a smile appearing behind his helmet. "That's why I have a better idea."

..

.

Antonio let out a choked cry when Eyescar stalked over to him, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him forward, causing the rope around his neck to start cutting off his air supply. He could only glare into the Nighlok's face.

"Your pathetic friends will be here any minute," Eyescar shouted into Antonio's face. "And you get to watch them _fry_." To emphasize his point, Eyescar punched Antonio hard in the stomach, causing the Gold Ranger to let out a loud cry of pain. "Yeah, it'll sound something like that."

"Hold on, Antonio," Mentor cried, hearing the Gold Ranger gasp for. "We _will_ make it through this."

"Even in defeat, they are delusional," Eyescar said with a roll of his eyes. He threw his head back and started to laugh, only to stop when the ground exploded around them, sending plumes of dust and dirt into the air. Moogers were flying everywhere, landing in heaps on the ground. He suddenly stopped when he heard a loud whirling sound, shortly followed by an animalistic cry.

Eyescar, Antonio and Mentor all looked up to see the Samurai Battlewing, shortly followed by Jaeger in his lion form. A ball of dark purple energy grew in front of Jaeger's mouth as he used his wings to fly himself across the valley. Letting out another loud cry, he shot the ball of energy forward, sending wave of energy to rock the ground beneath them.

Shortly followed by this was a loud battle cry from the other Rangers, who charged towards the uninjured Moogers on foot. Mia was the first to reach Antonio and Mentor, dodging a violent swing from the Nighlok, and used her Spin Sword to cut through their ropes. As Eyescar charged towards her, Mia placed a well aimed back kick into his stomach, knocking him over, sending Antonio's morpher flying.

"Gotcha," Emily shouted, catching the morpher before it hit the ground. She then tossed it over to Antonio. "Catch."

"Gold Power," Antonio shouted, instantly morphing before retrieving his Barracuda Blade."I knew you guys would come. Gold Ranger; ready!"

"How did you guys figure out my trick?" Eyescar asked, looking wildly around at the Rangers that stood in a circle around him. He turned to run away, but stopped when the Shark Sword appeared in his face.

"Not so fast," Jayden said, pointing the tip of the Shark Sword at Eyescar's nose. "Red Ranger; Ready." Jaeger angled himself down towards the ground and skidded to a stop, large teeth bared, eyes set in a glare. "You're done, Nighlok."

* * *

Melody was practically floating as she and Jayden made their way into the local gymnasium, following the smell of chlorine to the pool that weekend. She was really happy to be allowed to leave the house for the first time in a while and didn't have a problem showing it.

"Skip more and you're going to mess up Kevin's cake," Jayden commented with a little smile as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder.

"We'd still have something to eat; I ordered an edible arrangement," Melody replied with a shrug. Seeing the confused look on Jayden's face, she immediately stopped skipping. "You know what flower arrangements are, right?" Jayden silently nodded. "It's basically like a fruit basket with grapes, and strawberries, and pineapples, and cantaloupe, and honeydew melon. But, you can have them look like flowers and stuff. It's really good." She then shook her head in a mock pity way. "You need to get out more."

"I'll get right on that," Jayden replied with a small eye roll. He was silent for a moment. "I think I've figured out why you're not fighting your probation." Melody stayed silent, but motioned for him to explain. "With everything that's happened since the Black Box; I think you have no problem staying in the Shiba House as it means that you wouldn't have to worry about failing to stop the Sanzu River water from seeping into our world."

Melody pursed her lips for a moment, but didn't say anything. But it was all the confirmation that Jayden needed. "I'm still trying to figure out if that's stupidly brave or bravely stupid," He added as he pulled open the door to the pool area.

"We'll find out soon enough," Melody replied. "But, in the mean time, I have an idea on a new training routine." She shifted the cake into one arm, holding it tight against her body as she adjusted her backpack strap. "One of the LightZord's attacks is Scattershot, right?" Jayden nodded. "So, why don't we use that as like a target practice or to test our reflexes or something?"

Jayden's eyes widened. "That's a good idea. I'll talk it over with Mentor," he said as he led the way over to the table that Emily, Mike, Antonio, and Mentor were crowded around. "Where's Jaeger?"

"He'll be here, soon," Melody replied as she set the cake down onto the table. "Mia said she and Kevin will be here soon."

"I hope Kevin likes this," Emily said, nervously rubbing her hands together.

"Why wouldn't he?" Mike asked, wrapping a towel around his bare shoulders. He obviously couldn't wait for all of them to arrive before he changed into his bathing suit and jumped into the pool. "Besides, Em, this was _your _idea."

"Which is why I'm worried," Emily replied, starting to chew on her thumbnail.

Antonio clicked his tongue and knocked her hand away from her mouth. "Relax, we all know Kevin loves to swim," he said, giving her a warm smile. "He'll love it. Besides, after what we've been through this week, we all need a break."

"Couldn't agree more," Mike said, stretching his arms over his head. "Would he just get here, already? I need to swim my troubles away." He looked over towards the entrance of the pool area as the door swung open and Mia walked in, pulling a blindfolded Kevin by the arm. "Just in time."

"Ssshhh," Emily whispered, elbowing him in the side.

"You know, you do that a lot," Mike whispered in reply, frowning as he rubbed his side.

"Mia, what's going on?" Kevin asked, his voice echoing through the open space. "Why are we at a pool?"

"You'll see in a minute," Mia said, standing up on her tip toes to start removing the blind fold. "Keep your eyes closed." She then backed up a few steps. "Ok, open!"

Kevin opened his eyes and blinked in surprise when he saw the balloons and streamers and the table of food that his friends were standing by as they shouted "Surprise! Happy Birthday!" at him. A wide smile crossed Kevin's face until he shook his head; a confused look then appearing.

"But…it's not my birthday," he said, looking half happy and half confused as his eyebrows were knitted together, but his mouth was twitching into a smile.

"We know," Emily said, stepping forward. "And we know we missed your birthday back in October." Kevin then stuck with a confused look. "I'll explain later, but we felt bad that we never celebrated it so…surprise?"

"This was all Em's idea," Mentor said, placing a hand on the Yellow Ranger's shoulder.

"Wow, thanks, Em," Kevin said as he stepped forward to give her a hug. "Thanks to all of you. I didn't expect this at all." He let out a sigh as he looked out over at the pool. "When I got the call to join the Samurai Rangers; I never thought that I'd ever set foot back in a pool. I've missed everything about it, but I understand that what I'm doing right now is important. The pool will always be here, but the world won't."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Mentor said with a smile, giving Kevin a one-armed hug.

"Mia…did you make the cake?" Kevin slowly asked, spotting the cake on the table.

"No, I wanted to, but Mel wanted to try out one of her dad's recipes," Mia replied with an apologetic smile. "She made it."

"You? Made me a cake for me?" Kevin asked, walking over to it, smiling as the smell of frosting hit his nose. "What'd you do, poison it?"

Melody gave him an odd look. "Wow, you really think I hate you, don't you?" she asked in a monotone. "Kev, I don't hate you. I was trying to explain this to Mia earlier; I guess…you could say…you impress me."

"Could you say that again?" Mike asked, cupping his hand around his ear. "I didn't catch that the first time." He then wiggled a finger in his ear. "I think I have water in my ears."

Melody rolled her eyes, but kept her attention on Kevin. "I give you a hard time because it's easy to get a rise out of you, but the topic of what I give you a hard time about are things that you impress me with," she admitted, fully aware of how quiet it now was. She then started counting off on her fingers.

"I joke around that you have a stick up your ass because you're so serious and dedicated to your training that you gave up something you love doing; which shows me that you work hard at everything that's thrown your way. I make fun of your eating habits because your ability to stick to a healthy diet shows that you'll do anything you can to help better yourself for whatever it is you're doing to be the best you can be. In general, I get into arguments with you because while we do disagree with each other, unlike me, you do it in a respectable manner and you use that to offer your unique perspectives on things."

"Anyway, I know I've been saying this a lot to you since I got here, but I'm sorry for all the cracks and everything," Melody finished her explanation. "It's my sense of humor as well as masking my insecurities. Normally, I'd never admit this to you, but Mia really got me thinking about how we'd be better as a team if we stopped arguing all the time. So…yeah."

"Dude," Mike was the first to speak, his eyes wide.

"Apology accepted," Kevin said with a smile, setting his bag down onto the ground to give Melody a hug.

Melody smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him back. With her face pressed into his chest, her smile turned into an evil grin as she walked him backwards towards the edge of the pool. She quickly reaching into his pocket to pull out his cell phone with one hand and used the other to push him firmly on the chest, knocking him into the pool with a loud splash.

"What the hell?" Kevin asked as he surfaced, his shirt ballooning around his neck.

"_That's_ for the picture of the clown," Melody replied as she set his phone down on the table followed by hers. She then gave him a sweet smile. "But, now we're even." She then took off her socks and shoes before she cannon balled into the water.

Mia let out a loud scream as Emily walked up behind her, pushing her into the water. Emily doubled over laughing until her laugh turned into a high pitched shriek when Mike grabbed her from behind, carrying her bridal style, stepping up to the edge of the pool.

"No, Mike, no," Emily half-yelled and half-laughed before Mike did a front flip into the pool.

Antonio saw movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Mentor reach for him, trying to push him into the pool. Antonio hopped out of the way, pulling off his socks, shoes, and shirt before diving into the water.

"Come on, Jay," Antonio shouted as he surfaced, slicking his hair back with his hands.

"You couldn't have waited to change into your bathing suits?" Jayden asked, peering down at his friends. He got a mix of shouts in reply, none of which he could really hear because of the echoes. "I wield fire, remember."

"It's not like your body's on fire," Melody replied as she swung her arms and legs around to tread water.

"Mmmm, I don't know about that, _some_ people might find him hot," Mike replied with a grin. His friends groaned at his lame joke and splashed him with water.

"Get in, Jayden," Mia said as she swum over to the side of the pool, resting her arms on the edge. "The water's fine." Everyone else followed her, doing the same.

"No, I really don't think—" Jayden let out a cry of shock when his friends grabbed onto his legs, pulling him forward into the water. As he resurfaced, he spat a mouthful of water out of his mouth, brushing his hair back away from his face. "So not funny."

"Come on, Mentor, you're the last one," Mike shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. He then started the Rangers in a chant, trying to entice Mentor Ji to get into the pool.

"No way," Mentor said, waving his hands in the air. "Besides, someone's got to record this for posterity."

"Camera's in the very front pocket of my backpack," Melody directed as she dunked Antonio's head under water.

Mentor retrieved the camera and snapped pictures as the Rangers horse played in the water. "Everybody say, 'Cheese'," Mentor called out as he lifted the camera up to his eye. The Rangers huddled as close together as they could as they kicked their legs to stay afloat. They put their arms around each other and gave bright smiles as the flash went off.

* * *

**A/N: **You'll be finding out what's wrong with Jaeger in the next two chapters as they're based on Clash of the Red Rangers. Not sure if I'll have the RPM Rangers in it or not. I've been flip-flopping with my ideas for it, but I hope you guys are anxious for it. Sorry for the delay in updating; I had this chapter all ready to go to post last week, but when I read over it, I didn't like it; so I re-wrote this chapter.

I saw Fight Fire With Fire (and the rest of the Super Samurai season) ahead of time so I already know how the season ends, but I can't wait for you guys to see what I have in store for the rest of this fic. It really starts to go down; get more drama, romance, arguments, etc after Clash of the Red Rangers.

Thanks for reading, and I don't own Power Rangers.

**~MysticMelody101~**


	15. Chapter 15: Another Red Ranger?

**.:Chapter Fifteen – Another Red Ranger?:.**

* * *

"You don't have to worry," Antonio said as he spun, shirtless, in a slow circle as Melody looked him over. "The Nighlok wasn't after me or Ji. We were just bait."

"While that's a relief to hear," Melody replied, her head tilted to the side, "you could have some underlying damage from the rope. From what I hear, it was on pretty tight."

"Jayden and them got there in time; we're fine," Antonio said with a shake of his head. "Besides, this happened days ago; what symptoms would occur now?"

"You ever hear of phantom pain?" Melody asked, arching an eyebrow as she started looking through the medicine basket. He didn't know what she was looking for so he stopped spinning and moved to sit on the side of the bathtub, resting his elbows on his knees.

"At least I was able to get the Shark Disc working before everything went crazy," Antonio said with a shrug with a smile.

"So _that's_ what you and Mentor were all hush-hush about," Melody said with a shake of her head, pausing in what she was doing. "I knew it had to do something with a disk, but I didn't know what."

"I wanted to tell you guys, but Mentor didn't want me to," Antonio replied with a sheepish grin. "Sorry."

"Considering you built us a new weapon, there's no need to apologize," Melody replied, giving him a small smile. "So, how'd it look? I'm missing everything being stuck in this place."

"I've got to admit, it was pretty sick," Antonio replied with a small laugh. "Glad to say after this, I'm positive I'm over my fear of fish."

"That's good." Melody threw a package of Icy Hot at him. Antonio caught it against his chest and stared down at the label. "I know you said you're fine, but just in case you get another injury, that should help for a little bit." She leaned against the bathroom sink and crossed he arms over her chest. "Now beat it and tell Mike to come in here."

"Whatever happened to tender loving care?"Antonio asked as he grabbed his shirt from the floor, pulling it over his head.

"I'm not Mia," Melody replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world; which it was.

"_I'm not Mia_," Antonio mocked; a smile on his face.

"…What?" Melody slowly asked, afraid of the answer.

"Nothing," Antonio replied, standing up. "I'll go get Mike, but I can't help but wonder if this was all a ruse just to see me shirtless."

"Oh, no," Melody replied, deadpan although she was smirking, "You caught me. You know, after Kevin's pool party, I couldn't wait to get another glimpse of your body."

"I knew it," Antonio said with a grin.

"Antonio!" Melody cried with a laugh, shaking her head. "I'm not—"

"I know, I know, you're not interested," Antonio said, putting his hands up defensively, "but a guy can dream. It's just easy to get a rise out of you."

"Go get Mike," Melody repeated, rolling her eyes.

"As you wish, Madame" Antonio replied, giving a short bow before leaving the bathroom.

Melody then turned and drained the cool water from the sink. She then turned on the faucet, sticking her finger under the running water until it was just the right temperature until she pulled on the stopper to plug the drain. She did a double take when something in the water caught her eye. A pair of haunted green eyes started back at her as a familiar face appeared.

"Deker," she whispered. She blinked a few times, but the face was still there. Melody squeezed he eyes shut, shaking her head as she leaned away from the sink. All sound stopped and the light suddenly disappeared as Darkness surrounded her like water. She patted her pockets, gritting her teeth when she remembered that she didn't have her Samuraizer. "Dark Fire."

She held her right hand up, palm out, as a ball of purple flames hovered above her hand. Warmth spread through her body, but she could still feel the cold of the Darkness surround her. She heard low laughter and watched as Deker slowly stood up out of the area where the sink used to sit. His clothes were water logged and his hair was dripping water.

_I need to get out of here. _Melody looked around, trying to find a way to go, but everything was black. She turned towards where the bathroom door used to stand and started to frantically grope her way towards it. But, her fingers never touched the wood of the door. She swallowed hard, trying to keep calm.

"_There's no point in running, Purple Ranger. Face your destiny. You crave to fight, just like me. Just take your Samuraizer back. No one's stopping you_."

Her chest heaved as she breathed heavily; gasping for fresh air. All she drew into her lungs was thin, cold air. She tried hard not to panic, but her heart started to pound in her chest. She jumped when her fingers suddenly hit a wall in front of her. She searched with her hands for the small opening that would lead her out of the Darkness and into the Light.

Deker let out a slow, dark laugh.

"_Me_l!" Melody blinked as Antonio brushed past her, slamming his hand down on the hot water knob, shutting the water off.

Melody looked around in confusion as everything suddenly came back to her. Her feet were wet and she looked down to see that the sink had overflowed and soaked the rug. She blinked a few times and reached up a hand to find that tears had slipped down her cheeks. She hastily wiped them away when she realized that the Gap Sensor was blaring.

"What's up?" she asked as she turned towards Antonio, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"The others aren't here," Antonio quickly replied, grabbing a towel, pushing it into her arms. "I forgot that they went to train outside. There's a Nighlok attack. What happened in here?"

"Just go, I got it," Melody replied, pushing Antonio towards the door, briefly closing her eyes as her head throbbed with pain. "Hurry, Antonio! I'll clean this up."

"Alright, I'm on my way," Antonio replied, but he paused at the door for a moment, peering at her. He then turned and hurried out of the Shiba House. It took him a little while to find his friends, but once he did, they were already morphed and staring down a Nighlok.

"You're late," Kevin commented as soon as he spotted the Gold Ranger.

Antonio cringed behind his helmet. His friends looked like they were ok; but their suits were able to fend off a lot of battle damage. He knew that only a matter of moments could be a big deal when it came to Nighlok fights.

"Sorry," he apologized, reaching for his Barracuda Blade, pulling it out of its sheath. "But, this will be worth the wait, trust me." He tightly gripped his Blade in his hand, turning around to face the Nighlok. "Hey, Sharkjaw! Get ready for a Barracuda Bite."

He charged towards the Nighlok engaging into a one-on-one fight against the Nighlok. He moved fast, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he fought against the Nighlok. Sparks flew as Antonio's blades collided with Sharkjaw's razor sharp spikes.

"Give it up, Ranger," Sharkjaw growled, grabbing Antonio's wrist, stopping him in mid jab, "I'm one fish you _won't_ fillet!"

He then knocked Antonio's arm out of the way and swung his arm horizontally across Antonio's chest. The Gold Ranger let out a scream of pain as sparks shot off his suit as the force of the attack not only knocked the wind out of his lungs, but knocked him off his feet. Antonio's vision spun when he saw a Yellow and Pink boot enter his line of vision.

"Spin Sword," Emily and Mia shouted in unison, attaching their respective discs to their swords, giving it a hard push.

"Air Wave," Mia shouted, swinging her sword down, bright pink energy flying off her sword, striking the Nighlok.

"Seismic Swing!" Emily shouted, striking the ground with her sword. A large crack split the ground open, and plumes of dust shot into the air, speeding towards the Nighlok; striking it after Mia's attack, knocking it off its feet. "Antonio, are you alright?"

"I'll be alright, chica," Antonio replied, taking her hand, allowing her to help him up to his feet. "Nice shot."

"Look out!" Jayden shouted, getting their attention. Emily and Antonio turned to see Sharkjaw headed towards them, spinning so fast, a cloud of dirt followed behind it. It was also carving out rivets of cement.

"Zip, zip, zip!" Sharkjaw said as he raced towards the Rangers. "It's time to take you losers for a spin." He laughed as he ran through the Rangers, knocking them aside with more and more force the faster he spun and the more often he returned to strike them again.

Mike jumped to his feet and stared down the Nighlok, using his Spin Sword to protect himself from the rapidly spinning blades, before he was knocked off his feet. He slid forward on his stomach, feeling sharp rocks scratch at his stomach. Rolling onto his back, he noticed smoke drift in front of his face, he sat up and his jaw dropped when he saw his sword had been ground down. "Dude," he gasped, twisting his sword this way and that, blinking rapidly. "Now, that's not cool."

"We just can't get close enough to hit him," Kevin said with a shake of his head. He let out a deep breath, placing his hand on Jayden's shoulder. "We need Mel. She's the only one fast enough to land a stroke on him." He then blinked and looked around. "Where's Jaeger?"

"We'll deal with that later," Jayden replied, gripping his sword in both hands as he sank into a fighting stance. "This Nighlok isn't backing down any time soon." The ground shook as the Nighlok started spinning again.

"Now it's time to put my own spin on things," Antonio declared, racing towards the Nighlok for a second time.

Jayden reached for his friend, but Antonio was moving too quick for him. "Antonio, don't!" Jayden shouted at him, watching as his friend ran at the Nighlok. "He's too fast! Antonio!" The air in Jayden's lungs rushed out as he watched Antonio get hit hard, throwing him back into the other Rangers, knocking them all over like bowling pins.

"Oh no," Sharkjaw groaned when a loud crack hit the air. "I'm drying out. You Rangers got lucky this time! Zip, zip!" The gap in front of the Nighlok glowed bright red as he slipped inside.

"Is everybody ok?" Jayden asked as he slowly got to his feet, holding Antonio up. They all demorphed and faced each other, making sure nothing was broken and that they all were in fact ok. "Man, that's the toughest Nighlok we've faced so far."

"I meant what I said, Jay," Kevin said, clapping Jayden on the shoulder. "We need Mel back on the team. I mean, Antonio's fast, but Mel's faster than him with her powers."

"Yeah, don't you think it's time for her to rejoin the team?" Emily asked, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets. "We really need her."

"I just don't get why Jaeger didn't come," Mike said, shaking his head. "He was at the house last we checked. He would've heard the Gap Sensor for sure; what with his bat-like hearing."

"Mentor and I will discuss when we think is the right time for Mel to rejoin our team," Jayden said in a tone that showed that he didn't want the subject to be brought up again. "She's accepted her punishment as should the rest of you."

"Jayden," Antonio said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I understand that this is something for you and Mentor to figure out, but we need all the help we can get with these new Nighlok, especially with Serrator out there somewhere." Jayden silently looked over at Antonio and he instantly wished he didn't say anything. "Mel's going stir crazy and working on work out routines for us can only do so much for her."

"I understand your concern," Jayden replied, raking his fingers through his hair, "really I do. But, I have faith in each and every one of you that we can take down this Nighlok as a team. Mel's been a great support system back home, but like I said, Mentor and I will decide when she's put back on the team."

"But, Jayden—"

"Look, we'll be down a Ranger or two sometime, it's the risk that we take every time we go into battle," Jayden replied in an even tone. "It's kind of like what we're going through now, only Mel's not hurt."

"Not physically anyway," Mike muttered under his breath.

Jayden didn't reply and he didn't have to. He knew that after a while the Rangers would ask when their friend would be reinstated on the team. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle it when the time came, but he didn't think it'd be right after a particularly hard Nighlok fight. He wasn't in the mood to deal with it at the moment as he knew that the Rangers could out vote him on things pretty easily. But, he was always one to think of the big picture and not about what was going on at one time; he was the only one who knew about Mel's visions and how she was freaked out about what could happen.

And before he could figure out what a direct result of sending her out into the battlefield would mean, he wasn't going to take that change. But everyone knew that Melody could only be inside for so long without going crazy. He was their fearless leader, but not because of his social skills; mostly because he was good at it. And he was a damn scary man when he wanted to be.

"Let's go get some ice cream," he suddenly offered and everyone game him confused looks. "We deserve it. Come on."

"I would, but it's fishing time," Antonio said, glancing at his watch before clapping his hands together. "After a fight like this, we need all the carbs we can get, plus, it's my turn to make dinner."

"Fish doesn't have carbs," Kevin pointed out with a frown.

"Then protein, whatever," Antonio replied, waving his hand in the air. He then held up his closed fist, which Jayden bumped with his own. "I'll catch you guys later." He gave a short wave before turning on his heel, whistling as he walked off.

"Come on, guys," Emily said as she skipped ahead of the group. "The ice cream shop is _this_ way."

"We just spent last weekend eating junk," Kevin protested with a slight shake of his head. "We shouldn't break our Samurai diets."

"Ice cream won't kill you, Kevin," Mia said as she gently elbowed Kevin in the side. "As long as you keep the balance between your foods, you'll be ok."

"I just want some celery or a carrot that's all," Kevin replied with a shrug, slowing down his pace so the two of them were walking behind the group. He scratched the side of his jaw.

"You're in luck," Mia replied with a smile. "I know a place not far from the ice cream shop you can get celery and carrots and things." Her smile grew a little wider. "Maybe I'll even join you."

"Thanks, Mia," Kevin replied, giving a small smile in return. "And thanks for talking to Mel, too. I didn't know you knew that—"

"It was actually pretty obvious that she can easily get under your skin," Mia said as she slid her hands into her jeans pockets. "Kind of like Mike, but the two of you did it in a brotherly kind of way. I could tell what she was saying was actually little digs at you. I didn't think you'd talk to her about it, so I decided to step in. I just hope things are better between you guys now."

"Here's hoping," Kevin added, "I didn't know she actually looked up to me." He cracked a smile. "Knowing her though, she's never going to bring that up ever again."

"Most likely," Mia agreed with a laugh. "But, I can tell you look up to her, too." Kevin gave her a confused look. "Come on, Kev. She's not afraid to speak her mind or to disagree with someone. She never hesitates to charge into battle and continues a fight even when others have given up."

"Well…I guess," Kevin slowly replied, scratching the back of his neck. "Don't tell her I said that."

"Your secret's safe with me," Mia replied, making a zip the lip motion with her fingers. She then craned her neck as she looked across the street. "Speak of the devil. Hey, Mel!"

Everyone followed her gaze and saw the Purple Ranger walking down the street, arms full of shopping bags. Hearing her name being called, Melody looked around until she spotted her friends, before she made her way over to them. "Hey guys," she greeted them, adjusting the bags in her arms. "Before you ask, Mentor allowed me to leave to get some food. Nighlok fight went well, then?" She looked around at the group. "Where's Antonio?"

"Where else?" Mike asked with a snort. Melody answered with everyone, "Fishing."

"We were about to go get some ice cream if you want to come," Emily said, her eyes shining brightly. "You're already out here and the car is on the way to the ice cream shop." She was practically bouncing on her toes.

"You deserve it," Jayden said, taking one of the bags from her arms. Kevin immediately moved to take the second one. "I'll explain to Mentor when we get back. He'll understand."

Melody gave him an odd look before recovering and nodding. "Sure," she replied, falling into step with them. "Where's Jaeger? I thought he went to fight with Antonio."

"He never showed up, dude," Mike replied, giving her an alarmed look. "We thought he was with you the whole time." He then gave a short laugh. "Maybe he's out playing with that neighborhood cat. Maybe he's _in looove_." Emily elbowed him in the side when Mike gave a goofy grin and started batting his eyelashes.

"I'm sure he's fine," Emily spoke up, starting to walk backwards so she was looking at all of her friends. "Mel would sense if he wasn't, right?" Melody nodded. "So let's stop worrying and get some ice cream."

"It's not that hard to please you, is it?" Melody asked, raising her eyebrows. Emily giggled, shaking her head. "Didn't think so."

* * *

"Dude, this is a celebration," Mike said with an amused look on his face as he worked a hunk of chocolate out of his ice cream to start chewing. He looked over at the celery and carrots in Kevin's hands. "Why didn't you get ice cream like the rest of us?"

"Mike, stop picking on him," Emily said with a roll of her eyes. "He can eat whatever he wants."

"But, he's eating _veggies_," Mike protested, grabbing Kevin's wrist, waving his hand around as if to prove his point.

Kevin growled, pulling his hand out of Mike's grip. "I've been feeling a little sluggish lately, Mike," Kevin replied before he took a large bite of his carrot. "So it's back to a strict Samurai diet."

"But wouldn't you rather have Mint Chip?" Mike asked, jumping in front of Kevin to wave his ice cream in Kevin's face. "It's your favoooriiiite."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "No, Mike, I don't want any," he replied, making a show of loudly crunching the carrot in his hand.

"Mike, just drop it," Mia said with a small laugh as she bit in her ice cream cone. "If he doesn't want ice cream, he doesn't want ice cream."

"Too bad, he's missing out," Melody said as she smiled from ear to ear, licking her cone of Chocolate Cookie Dough ice cream. She then suddenly stopped walking, looking around, her eyes darting back and forth as her friends stopped to give them a confused look. "I thought I heard something."

"Footsteps perhaps?" Kevin asked, nodding to a spot over her shoulder.

Melody turned around to face Jake, letting out a heavy sigh. "I thought that we had an understanding," she said in a low voice, the grip on her ice cream cone tightening slightly. She could hear her cone cracking in her hand.

"What kind of understand would that be?" Jake asked, widening his eyes in innocence.

"That the best thing that you could do for me and the rest of civilization would be to stay away from me or to curl up and die," Melody replied, her eyebrows twitching. "Whichever one comes first. I'm not all that picky."

"Normally, I'd welcome a round of banter," Jake replied, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. He looked like he was making himself comfortable and that he wasn't going to leave any time soon. "But, I think there's something that we need to address."

"Look, Jake, because of you, my best friend got drunk," Melody said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, giving him a cool look. "Not only that, but you nearly got me kicked out of school at one point, and I'm not going to forget how you—" she trailed off looking uncomfortable for a moment before setting her jaw, "abrasive you were during the short relationship we had. And I'm not forgetting that little run in we had at the shopping center. You're not putting your hands on me again."

"I'll apologize for that time and time again and I still don't think you'll ever fully accept it," Jake said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Besides, last I checked your precious friends were able to help you get out of trouble time and time again."

"And now I'm helping myself," Melody replied with a short nod. "Leave me alone; seriously. It's for your safety." She then spun around and rejoined her friends. "That guy needs to get a clue."

"You dated him?" Mia asked quietly.

"Unfortunately," Melody replied although she had an odd smile on her face. "It was my Junior year of high school and I was really in my best friend at the time. Jake asked me out and I agreed to it and we dated for a little while. I did like Jake but me in my stupid high school mindset was also using him to make my best friend jealous." She shrugged. "It really all just fell apart and fell together from there I guess."

"He seems like he really needs to tell you something, though," Kevin said with a frown, glancing over his shoulder. "Do you have any idea what it could be?"

"Knowing him, a whole bunch of stuff, but I bet it's not anything I care about," Melody replied with an eye roll. "Honestly, I don't think it's anything as important as Master Xandred, Serrator, or the Nighloks. He's going to get himself hurt if he continues to stick around." They let out cries of shock when a car suddenly fell from the overpass ahead of them, nearly dropping right on top of them. "See what I mean?"

"My ice cream!" Emily wailed, staring down at the ice cream cone she had dropped in the shock of the car nearly crushing them. "Where did that come from?"

Melody slowly tilted her head to the side, staring off into space, her ear twitching. A mechanical whirring sound reached her ear, but it was too high pitched for it to be the car in front of her. "Something's here," she muttered a growl rumbling in her throat. The mechanical sound was accompanied by beeping and an odd grinding sound, as if something robotic was moving.

"Up there!" Mia shouted, spotting a group of construction workers sprinting across the overpass as laser beams were shot after them.

"Let's go," Jayden said, taking one last lick of his ice cream cone before jogging over to the trash can nearest him, looking for a set of stairs to hurry onto the overpass. "Someone call Antonio." Finding one, he led the way up onto the overpass.

"I'm way ahead of you," Kevin replied, his Samuraizer to his ear. He let out a growl as he flipped it shut. Before opening it again. "He's not answering, but I'll let Mentor know and see if he can get Antonio to answer."

"He better not be listening to music again," Emily said with a shake of her head, taking the stairs two at a time.

"Mel, you ready for a fight?" Jayden called over his shoulder.

"I'll do as well as I can," Melody replied, her hands already glowing purple. They rushed past screaming construction workers and came face to face with robots. "_That's _the grinding sound I heard."

"Nighloks with lasers?" Emily asked, her eyes wide.

"Those Steam Punks aren't Nighloks," Mike replied, shaking his head, slowly moving to stand in front of Emily. "Not by a long shot."

"Either way, we need to stop them," Jayden replied, reaching into his pocket for his morpher. "Samuraizer!"

"Samuraizer!" Mia, Emily, Mike, and Kevin shouted after him. "Go Go Samurai." The Rangers morphed before rushing into the fight.

Melody knew she was at a disadvantage without her Samuraizer, but knew she could hold her own for a while with her powers.

She let out a shrill whistle to call for Jaeger, and could only hope that he would appear as she had no idea where he was. As a robot swung at her, she kicked his arm away and hit him square in the chest. He stumbled backwards unharmed, but Melody's foot was throbbing with pain.

"Ow, ow, ow," she chanted, eyes squeezed shut, hopping up and down on one foot, squeezing he injured foot with both hands. As the robot advanced towards her for a second time, she brought back her fist and punched it, knocking it over, this time injuring her hand. "_Owwwww_! Stupid, Mel! That was stupid. I should have seen that coming."

Her friends weren't having much luck either despite the fact that they had swords on them. They cut down every robot, but it didn't seem like they were putting any damage on them at all. Suddenly, there was an explosion, and five of the robots went down. They all turned when they heard rapid footsteps and saw another Red Ranger rushing towards them, holding a laser in his hand.

"Another Ranger?" Jayden asked, slowly shaking his head back and forth. "That's not possible."

"Hey, they're made of metal so your swords won't cut it," the Red Ranger stated, blasting shot after shot from his blaster. "But, watch this! I'll get the job done." The Rangers watched as the second Red Ranger knocked down each of the robots as if he wasn't trying that hard.

"Guys, stay focused!" Jayden commanded, shoving Mia out of the way of an attack to her back. "Mia, you alright?"

"Yeah," Mia replied, slamming her fist to the ground before started to fight again. "I'm good. I won't lose concentration again; we've got to beat these creeps."

But, the Samurai Rangers could barely do anything to help. With their swords barely scratching the robots and the new Red Ranger running around, pushing them out of the way to get the job done himself. But it was a real kicker when the "wheels" around his legs spun rapidly, causing him to suddenly shoot forward as if he was shot out of a cannon, striking every robot he passed until they exploded at once.

"Now that's how it's done in _this _century," the Red Ranger said with a laugh.

Jayden de-morphed, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "Who are you?" he demanded as the other Samurai Rangers powered down, walking up behind him.

"Well, I'm a Power Ranger," the Red Ranger replied, flipping his blaster into the air. He caught it in his hand before sliding it into his holster. "Just like you guys. But from where I come from, they call me Ranger Red."

"He's even cockier than Kevin," Melody whispered.

"Hey!" Kevin cried in protest.

"Dude, you know she's right," Mike whispered in reply and Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Mel, you know there are other Rangers around," Jayden said in a low voice, "Do you know him?"

"Unfortunately, no," Melody replied, slowly shaking her head back and forth.

"What?" the Red Ranger asked as he walked over to the Samurai Rangers. "Oh, I get it; you're mad because I took out those Grinders all by myself." He let out a sigh, leaning against the wall of the overpass. "They're robots from my dimension; I wasn't sure if your old school methods could handle them. You're welcome." He then offered his hand towards the Samurai Rangers. "You can call me Scott." Jayden slowly placed his hand into Scott's gloved ones and shook it. "Please d to meet you."

"I'm not sure we will have properly met until I can look you in the eyes," Jayden replied evenly, setting his jaw.

"Uh, not right now," Scott replied, pulling his hand back. He saw the confused looks on the Rangers' faces. "I have my reasons."

"Jayden," Kevin whispered into the Red Ranger's ear, "a lot's been going on today." Mike nodded in agreement. "I don't think we should just trust him." Mike shook his head, showing that he didn't think it was a good idea to trust the stranger as well. Kevin looked over at Melody.

"Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, you know?" Melody replied, keeping her eyes on the Red Ranger.

"Ranger Red," Jayden spoke aloud, "you say you come from another dimension, so how did you get here?"

"Enough already!" Emily protested as she and Mia walked over to Scott, looping their arm through his. "He's obviously a friend. I mean, he helped us out. I don't know about you guys, but I needed help against those Grinders."

"I _was_ helping you," Mike said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He can tell us everything when we get home," Emily continued as if Mike didn't say anything. She and Mia started pulling him away.

"Yeah, and I'll cook for you," Mia replied with a wide smile. "After a fight like that, you _must_ be hungry."

"What just happened?" Mike asked as he, Kevin, Jayden, and Melody watched as the Pink and Yellow Rangers started talking rapidly and at the same time, filling in the new Ranger of who they were and where he was.

"He nearly decapitated me _that's_ what just happened," Kevin said through clenched teeth.

"There's definitely something off about him," Mike said, tapping his chin in thought. "But, I can't put my finger on it."

"Come on," Jayden said, slowly following after the girls.

They soon made it back to the Shiba House, with Mia hurrying into the house with the newly bought groceries, wanting to hurry and start making dinner for the newcomer. Scott took a short trip around the house, making comments under his breath as he did so.

"You guys are all about living old school lives aren't you?" Scott asked as he returned to the Rangers, who stood crowded by the front door.

"Old school?" Kevin repeated, looking offended. "Do you have any idea _at all_ that you were _this close_—" He held up his forefinger and thumb close together, "to cutting off my head?"

"Kev," Jayden said in a warning tone, briefly looking over at the Blue Ranger. "Alright, Scott, educate us. How'd you get here? Why are you here?"

"Yeah," Emily said with a warm smile, gently squeezing Scott's hand. "Why don't you de-morph, make yourself at home, and tell us about yourself?"

"I'm here to hunt down a robot named Professor Cog," Scott replied, staring at her for a moment before facing Jayden. He noticed Melody's eyebrows twitch and a strange look come to her face. "What?"

"Cog," she muttered, rubbing her chin, "he's not like a foot soldier like those…what'd you call them, Grinders?"

"No, he's worse than that," Scott replied with a snort, shaking his head. Melody's eyebrows rose and her jaw dropped slightly in a warning look. "He's looking for a way to wipe out the last people left in my dimension."

"Him and most other villains, so what else is new?" Mike asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "We've got problems of our own, buddy."

"_Mike_," Emily hissed.

"Anyway, to answer your question," Scott said, turning towards Emily as if Mike hadn't said anything. "I can't demorph because I don't know if I can breathe the air here. Plus, I might not be able to morph again and I don't want to risk it."

"_You're on_ _Earth, stupid_," Melody said, before earning a warning look from both Kevin and Jayden. She put her hands up defensively for a moment before crossing them over her chest.

Scott chuckled seeming to smile behind his helmet, "I see you have someone like Dillon on your hands. More power to ya." Scott sighed and looked around the room before continuing. "In my dimension we've been forced to live in a dome city just to avoid the toxic atmosphere the robots have created."

"Mel does have a point…in her rude way," Kevin said, peering curiously at Scott. "We can breathe the air just fine here. I'm sure if you de-morph—"

"I don't want to risk it," Scott repeated, stiffly. "It's been a long day so I'd appreciate some privacy." He looked over at Jayden. "Is there somewhere I can go?"

"Uh…yeah," Jayden replied, caught off guard. He didn't think about the new Ranger staying at the house. "You can room with Antonio, or there's a spare room down the hall." Mike gave Jayden a shocked look as Scott called "Thanks" over his shoulder, walking away.

"Dude!" Mike cried.

"Wow," Emily said in a quiet voice, frowning. "I feel so bad for him. I mean…who's ever heard of having to live in a domed city?"

"I still don't trust him," Mike said with a shake of his head. "I mean…sure I get living in a domed city, but we're fine here on Earth. And I don't like the way he looks at you." Jayden, Kevin, and Melody exchanged glances as Mike slid his hands into his jeans pockets.

Emily didn't say anything for a moment, twisting her mouth to the side before an amused look crossed her face. "He was wearing a helmet," she replied, turning to face him, giving him a pointed look. "How could you tell?"

Mike scoffed. "I…I, uh, I could just tell," he replied, feeling his face grow hot.

"Sure you can," Melody replied with a smirk as Emily headed towards the kitchen, saying she wanted to help Mia with dinner. She screeched in pain when Mike took a step back onto her injured foot. "Off the foot. _Off the foot_."

* * *

**A/N: **Hmm, this might end up being three chapters long but you'll _definitely_ find out what's up with Jaeger in the next chapter. It meant to have this chapter up earlier, but I got lazy and I was hanging out with my family. Hope your guys' Thanksgiving was great!

**~MysticMelody101~**


	16. Chapter 16: Sucked Through a Vortex

**.:Chapter Sixteen – Sucked Through a Vortex:.**

* * *

"Mel," Jayden said, placing a hand on the Purple Ranger's shoulder. "Let me check your foot."

"It's fine," Melody replied. "See?" She took a couple steps forward, walking stiffly, trying not to limp, her face twisting in pain.

"I see alright," Jayden replied with a shake of his head. "You could've done some damage to it. Where's the first aid kit?"

"Bathroom," Melody replied, slowly making her way into the living room, Mike and Kevin helping her from both sides. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem," Mike replied. He then nodded in the direction that Scott had just left. "You think it's a good idea if we let him stay here?"

"That guy doesn't have any respect for the Samurai life," Kevin said with a frown and a shake of his head. "He's got some skills, I'll give him that. But, we don't really know anything about him."

"I have to admit even I think it's odd that the person that's been telling us to stay away from our friends and family for their safety is automatically letting a stranger into the house," Melody agreed, keeping an eye on the door for when Jayden came back. "But, this _is_ Jayden we're talking about. He has good reasons for everything, whether he chooses to tell us what it is or not."

"She's right," Kevin said with a sigh. He then clapped her on the shoulder when Jayden returned with the first aid kit. "I'm going to see if Mia needs help with lunch."

"Yeah, and I'm going to fill up on snacks, just in case," Mike said rubbing his stomach, clapping Jayden on the shoulder on his way out.

"That doesn't look too bad," Jayden commented, seeing a light purple splotch on the top of Melody's foot as soon as she took off her shoe and sock. He set the first aid kit on the ground, sitting down on the couch across from her as she jumped on one foot over to the table. He patted his knee and Melody put the heel of her foot on his knee. "Why isn't your hand like that?"

"Because I was smart enough to actually protect my hand with my powers," Melody replied as Jayden pressed his thumbs into the sole of her foot.

"Does that hurt?" he asked and Melody shook her head. He then started rolling her foot, testing her ankle. "Does that hurt?"

Melody shook her head again, "It's just on top."

"I don't think you broke it," Jayden said as he checked the sides of her foot. "You don't seem to be in too much pain, the bruising isn't bad, and it's not swollen. Either way, I'd put peas on it for a while."

Jayden blinked when Melody's foot suddenly jerked in his hand at the same time she reached out a hand to swat him. He smirked, looking up at her. "Are you ticklish?" he asked, his hand hovering over the sole of her foot.

"No," Melody replied and Jayden arched an eyebrow.

"A little quick to answer that," he commented before dragging his finger up the sole of her foot. A laugh instantly escaped Melody's mouth as she tried to pull her foot out of his grasp.

"Don't do that," she said, relaxing into a smile as he reached for a bandage, starting to wrap her foot. Her smile faded a little. "So, what do you think about Scott?"

"He's…interesting," Jayden replied, letting out a sigh through his nose. "Not sure if I can even trust him as far as I can throw him." He gently tapped her foot after he was done and she started putting her sock and shoe back on. "It's like my dad always said, 'Look into my eyes and hear what I'm not saying, for my eyes speak louder than my voice ever will.' I was always taught that the first step to giving and receiving respect was through eye contact." He paused for a moment as he snapped the lid to the first aid kit shut. "What about you?"

"I don't normally trust someone I know little to nothing about," Melody replied, dismissively.

"You barely knew me when you decided to join the team," Jayden pointed out as Melody stood up, her lips twitching slightly as she put weight on her injured foot.

"I've been lead by two different leaders at this point, three now, and I can see that you all have different ways of going about _how _you lead," Melody explained as she brushed her hair out of her face. "I know it wasn't easy for you to find me and ask me to join your team. I can only assume it made you question your ability as a leader to go outside your core team and to _ask_ someone to help you out." She then peered closely at him. "Asking for help doesn't make you less of a leader."

"I know," Jayden replied with a short nod.

"You're not your dad, Jayden," Melody replied. Jayden looked at her in time to catch her eyes fading from purple back to its normal blue hue. "It's not a bad thing that you have more people on your team than he did.

"I forgot you could do that," he muttered, picking the first aid kit off the floor. He then paused, sniffing the air. "With Mia cooking, I think it's a good thing Scott won't de-morph."

"He has to eat at some point," Melody replied with a shake of her head, following him out of the room and into the kitchen. "Whatcha making this time, Mia?"

"It's just ramen for now," Mia replied, turning away from the stove, holding a pot in her hand. "But, I'm trying out some new recipes." She motioned towards some ramen that was a dark brown color. "This is my Hyperactive Candied Choco-Ramen. And this," she motioned to the pot in her hands, "is my Cheesy Ranch Ramen."

"Why don't you guys have some?" Mike asked with a smile, giving the two of them a pointed look as they slowly took their seats. He grabbed the spoon sitting in the Choco-Ramen and scooped out a large portion, plopping it down on Jayden's plate. "It looks great doesn't it?"

"Looks aren't everything," Melody muttered, her upper lip curling when she saw that the noodles looked more like a blob of mush. She shuddered when she saw the carved out portion of the bowl of noodles. She grabbed her fork and jabbed at her plate as Mike set it down in front of her, looking even more disgusted when it wiggled.

"You've got that right," Kevin muttered into his cup of Hawaiian punch. "You know what they say; 'What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger'."

"Then we should all have guts of steel by now," Emily said, pushing her food around her plate.

"Maybe we could get Scott to eat it," Mike commented, stabbing at his noodles, waving his fork in the air. "Living in a domed city, he's probably eaten worse."

"_Mike_!" Jayden, Melody, Kevin, and Emily all reprimanded him at once.

"What?" Mike asked, his eyes widening in innocence. "What'd I say?"

Kevin just shook his head. "It's just so hard for me to believe he's a Red Ranger," he commented, frowning. "I mean, he was just so…_cocky_."

"If it makes you feel any better, we all prefer you with your head," Melody said, glancing repeatedly from her plate to Mia's back, making sure the Pink Ranger didn't catch her hiding her food in her napkin. "But, you do have a point. I wonder what his team is like."

"I think we deserve some answers," Jayden agreed, folding his hands on the table in front of him. "Like, how he got to our dimension, why Professor Cog decided to come here—"

"Let him rest for a little bit, he just got here," Emily said with a frown. "You guys aren't really making him feel welcome." She brushed her pigtail off her shoulder. "So what if he doesn't follow the same traditions we do? If it wasn't for him, we would never have won the fight against the Grinders."

"We'd also have a headless Blue Ranger," Mike replied, jerking his thumb in Kevin's direction. "I don't get why you're defending him."

"Careful, Mike," Melody said in a sing song voice. "You sound jealous."

"Jealous? Me?" Mike asked, his eyebrows raised. "Ha!" He slapped the table with his hand. "There's nothing about that guy I'm jealous of." He looked down at the food on his plate, lowering his voice. "Except that he doesn't have to eat this."

"Emily's right," Mia said, turning off the stove. "You're not being nice to our guest." She poured the ramen noodles into a large bowl, sticking two serving spoons in it. "And I don't think you'd appreciate being talked about behind your back."

"Everybody talks about everybody behind everybody's backs," Melody said with a roll of her eyes, "it's, like, the way of life."

Mia turned around, setting the bowl of cheesy noodles onto the table. She then loudly cleared her throat. "Scott, come eat with us." The Rangers all turned around and stared at Scott, who was standing in the doorway.

Mike speared his glob of noodles and turned in his seat, shaking it at the new Red Ranger. "Here," he said with a smile. "Have some." Scott merely glanced at the food on Mike's fork before walking away. "What's his problem?"

Emily grabbed his arm, moving Mike's fork back to his plate. "Be nice," she whispered.

"I guess he'd rather starve," Mike commented with a roll of his eyes. "But, that is a genius, though." He saw the confused look on Mike's face. "From now on, whenever Mia cooks, I'm wearing my helmet." He grinned and took a large bite of his ramen noodles, his look of happiness instantly morphing into a look of horror. He looked up as the Gap Sensor sounded. Spitting his food into his bowl he looked relieved. "Saved by the bell," he commented, wiping at his mouth with the back of his arm.

"Wait, ow!" Melody cried, hurrying after the Rangers in a weird hobble. "Wait, ow!"

"My meal," Mia groaned, untying the apron from around her back. She pulled it over her head and tossed it onto the counter, hurrying after her friends to crowd around the city map as Mentor Ji opened it. "Huh?" The map looked normal, no pulsating dots to show Nighlok or Moogers anywhere.

"You think it's faulty?" Emily asked, looking over at Mentor.

"There's no Nighlok detected, but there's a disturbance at the water front," Mentor said, chewing on his bottom lip. "It's never wrong."

"The Gap Sensor is designed to track a Mooger or Nighlok crossing through a gap to our world," Jayden said, a hand to his chin. "But, it's also formatted to be tripped whenever there's a disturbance like this in general. There's definitely something going on."

"Antonio's at the water front," Kevin spoke up. "He's been attracting trouble like flies, recently." The Rangers all looked up when they heard a loud noise. They quickly realized it was the sound of Mentor's motorcycle being started up. Before they could move, the sound of the bike quickly faded. "Did Scott just—?"

"He took my bike!" Mentor cried, shock written all over his face. "You guys better go. No matter what this is, you need to stop it."

"Scott's going to need help," Melody added, tapping her chin with her finger. "Even the best Ranger can be taken down. I just find it odd; Xandred's lying low, this Professor Cog, comes, that Nighlok hasn't returned, there are foot soldiers that can deflect any attack you lay on 'em, and Jaeger's not answering my call."

"You think this is deliberate?" Jayden asked, a curious look on his face.

"I think it spells trouble," Melody replied gravely. "You guys better hurry and help Antonio."

"Let's go," Jayden agreed before leading the way out of the house.

Melody then turned towards Mentor Ji, giving a short bow before brushing her hair out of her face. "I know I'm not allowed into fights unless really necessary, but you have to let me go to this one," she said in a low tone. Mentor's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but he didn't say anything. "I know that it's Professor Cog that's tripped the Gap Sensor."

"How do you-?"

"I'll explain later, but it's one of the things I can do with my powers," Melody said, waving her hand in the air. "Look, all villains are the same; they want to get rid of us, Rangers. Professor Cog and Scott were easily able to get into this dimension, how easy would it be to send Jayden and them to another dimension?"

"And you think there's a way you can stop it?" Mentor asked.

"No, but I think I know how to change the intended course," Melody replied. Before Mentor could ask another question, she hurried out of the room. Minutes later, she came back, breathing hard, holding onto a necklace chain. Holding it up, Mentor saw a broken chunk of a dark pink rock. "With this."

"What is it?" Mentor asked, reaching out to grab it.

"It's the last chunk of the Pearl of Arialla in my possession," Melody replied as Mentor held it up in the air, looking at the rock from each angle. "It holds enough power to help me with my idea. But, it's going to take a lot of energy. Which is why I need Jaeger's help."

* * *

The Rangers hurried to where the Gap Sensor had indicate a disturbance and found Scott fighting against, who they assumed to be, Professor Cog. They also found Antonio, morphed and carrying the Light Zord.

"Sorry we're late," Jayden said, resting his Spin Sword on his shoulder.

"Who is this guy?" Antonio asked, brandishing the Light Zord in Scott's direction. "What's going on?"

"Fight now; talk later," Jayden replied, gripping the hilt to his Spin Sword tightly in his hand before charging at Scott and the monster. The Rangers fought hard against the new enemy, and found that he was more skilled and powerful than their average Nighlok.

_The Samurai Rangers are here, huh?_ Professor Cog thought as he easily deflected any of the Rangers' attacks. _Time to get this over with, then. They're boring me._

"So, you're working for the Nighlok?" Jayden asked as the Rangers slowly walked a menacing circle around Professor Cog.

"Yes, we have a deal," the villain simply replied. "And it involves you." He gave a mocking sigh, as if disappointed things had to go along this way. "And after you're destroyed, the human population of this world will be squashed like grapes." He then turned and sneered at Scott. "Ask Ranger Red."

"Aw, shut up!" Scott shouted before charging at Professor Cog for a second time.

"Are you nuts?!" Kevin asked, startled that the newcomer would still try and take on the enemy by himself.

But, Professor Cog was already ready for Ranger Series Red. He struck blow after blow on Scott, but the Red Ranger wasn't going to give up without a fight. He was above to jump out of the way and evade some of the kicks and punches from the front. The wheels on his boots spun rapidly and Scott started darting around, moving so fast, the Rangers could only catch glimpses of him.

"I have never seen anyone move like that," Emily said, her jaw dropped in awe. "I mean, besides Antonio. But…look at him."

"His battle style is beyond anything I've ever seen!" Mia said, her eyes wide behind her helmet. "It's like he's floating on air."

Scott let out a cry of pain, when he was struck on the shoulder, effectively stopping him in his place. "What a waste," Professor Cog growled. "You've never faced a man as powerful as me!" A circular area on his body started to glow. "These are for you; Hypno Bolts."

Scott didn't have time to move so he was hit repeatedly in the chest by the attack from Professor Cog. The force of the attack was able to knock him off his feet, sending him flying. Professor Cog laughed. "Worthless."

"Guys, quit standing around," Kevin shouted, snapping his friends out of their stares. "We've got to help."

"_Wait_!" Jayden cried, throwing out his arm, catching Kevin's attention. He turned his head towards Scott. "What are Hypno Bolts? How do you feel?"

"Like fighting," Scott spat as he slowly got to his feet.

"That's what I like to hear," Mike cheered.

"Red Ranger, you never could admit defeat, could you?" Professor Cog asked, clicking his tongue, shaking his head.

"You haven't beaten me yet, Cog," Scott growled, his free hand curling into a fist. "I'm not going to let you turn this dimension into a barren wasteland like my home. I'm the Red Ranger; I _never _give up."

Letting out a loud battle cry, Scott charged forward again, only to be struck by Professor Cog's Hypno Bolts for a second time. Some of the bolts, however, flew past Scott and struck Jayden as well, causing both of them to go flying, landing closer to the water's edge.

"You're both pests," Professor Cog said as he stalked towards the two fallen Rangers. "This'll be a treat in itself. I made a deal to get rid of the Samurai Rangers; but I'll be happy knowing I got rid of you, too."

A blinding glow reflected off of Jayden's helmet. Slowly reaching up, he used a hand to block some of the light from his view, gaping at what he saw in front of him. Shimmering, pink, black, purple, and white light twisted and swirled, starting in a small ball and growing bigger, and bigger, and bigger.

"A vortex," Scott gasped. He grabbed Jayden's shoulder, roughly pulling him to his feet. "It'll take us to my dimension."

"And get you out of our hair, so Master Xandred can take over," Professor Cog said with a laugh. "You can't escape, Rangers. Vector Vortex." Professor Cog's vortex made a high pitched whine as it shot across the open space between Professor Cog and the Rangers.

"Look out!" Scott shouted, giving Jayden a hard push. Jayden stumbled, hitting the ground hard on his side. He looked up just in time to see Mia, Emily, Mike, Kevin, and Antonio standing in front of the vortex, blocking it from getting to Jayden and Scott, using their Spin Swords and the Light Zord.

"What are you doing?" Jayden shouted at his teammates.

"Don't worry, we've got this," Kevin said through clenched teeth. He looked at Jayden over his shoulder and gave his leader a nod of confidence. "It's all up to you."

"Destroy the Professor," Mike cried.

_"Shadows of the Underworld; Leonis_."

Jayden watched as the shadows cast from the afternoon sun, slithered from their normal positions, collecting into a giant black mass on the ground as it slithered towards Professor Cog. The black mass then took on the shape of a massive lion, rising out of the ground until it created a 3D shape.

Letting out a terrifying roar, the lion pounced, knocking Professor Cog to the ground. The shadows wrapped around the screaming villain, pinning his arms to his sides, tightening. Suddenly, there was a loud bang as Professor Cog was zapped by purple lightning, the force of the attack throwing him back.

"Mel?" Jayden asked as Melody landed on the ground in front of him. She slid off of Jaeger's back as he transformed into his human form. "How-"

"I'll explain later," Melody replied, facing the vortex. Jayden watched as she pulled a necklace out of her pocket and ripped the chain from a chunk of rock before holding it out in front of her. Her eyes glowed as did the rock, and it hovered above her palms. "I call on the power of Arialla." The rock rose higher and higher, glowing brighter by the second.

"Gates of Darkness," Jaeger called, his hands glowing a dark, almost black, purple. He wheeled them in the air in front of him, creating a large black circle. The chunk of rock hovered over to the black mass and both the rock and the black gate glowed a bright white, light.

Melody then pulled her Samuraizer out of her pocket. "Symbol Power; Portal!" The symbol floated over the bright white light before it, the Rangers, and Jaeger, got sucked into the vortex. As the Rangers disappeared, there was a back lash of energy from the vortex, knocking Scott, Jayden, and Melody off of their feet, and into the water behind them.

Jayden sunk below the water, hearing the dull crashes of Scott and Melody hitting the water around him. He felt all the energy in his body quickly leave him as his eyelids grew heavy. He de-morphed and kicked for the surface. As his head broke through the water, he sucked in deep mouthfuls of air, looking around in confusion until a small hand appeared in his line of vision.

"You ok?" Melody asked as he reached up to grasp her hand.

"Exhausted," Jayden replied, breathing heavily as she started to pull on his arm, helping up onto land. He used his other arm to help pull him up, and quickly found just how exhausted he was, when he was barely able to pull himself out of the water. "Thanks."

Jayden turned on his hands and knees and offered his hand to Scott, who was still morphed. "Here, let me help," Jayden said.

Scott glanced at Jayden's hand and grit his teeth behind his helmet. Instead, he pulled himself out of the water. "I don't need your help," he snapped, standing up, feeling the water drip off of his suit. "I'm fine."

"Oh, that's funny," Melody said, grabbing Jayden under the armpit, hauling him to his feet. "You wouldn't be standing here if the other Rangers and, oh, right, _I _didn't help you." She then turned towards Jayden. "And, yes, Mentor knows I'm here, and yes, I know I'm not actually a part of the team again."

"I could've handled it all myself," Scott said as Melody walked over to her fallen Samuraizer.

"I'm sure you could've," Melody replied coolly, drawing a symbol in the air. In moments, her clothes and air were dry. "I'm going to call Mentor and tell him what happened. I suggest you dry yourselves off."

"She's more talkative than Dylan, but—" Scott trailed off, shaking his head, turning to face Jayden as he pulled his dripping Samuraizer out of his pocket.. "These things take forever to dry. It's not like we're going to instantly—" He stopped talking when he saw Jayden draw a symbol in the air, the same symbol Melody had just used, and dried his clothes and hair. "How'd you-?"

"Old school trick," Jayden replied shortly, before drying Scott's Ranger suit. "You didn't de-morph." He said it as more of an observation than a question.

"Let me tell ya," Scott said in a quiet voice, moving to sit on some crates, "if I de-morph here, I can't return back to my dimension." Jayden gave him a look of alarm as he moved to sit on the crate next to it, facing in the opposite direction. "The helmet lets me breathe the bad air. If I go back, and I'm outside of the dome…who knows what could happen?"

"We're human just like you; and we live perfectly fine here," Jayden replied.

Scott decided to change the subject. "Your team….they sacrificed themselves for you," he commented, nodding to the spot where the other Rangers used to be.

"They need to stop doing that," Jayden said under his breath. He let out a heavy sigh, scratching at his eyebrow. "They all think that I'm the key to defeating Master Xandred. That's why they protect me."

"Oh, wow." Scott let out a bark of laughter. "You're pretty full of yourself, aren't you?"

Jayden instantly felt a spike of annoyance. "It's not like that," Jayden said with a shake of his head. He clasped his hands in his lap, noticing after a moment that he was tightly gripping his hands together. "And before you make judgments, take a look at yourself." He then said to himself in a low voice, "I wish they'd stop and think about their own safety. That's the only thing that truly matters."

"So…you're _not_ 'the key' to stopping this…Xander guy?" Scott asked, waving his hand in the air.

"…No," Jayden replied after a moment of silence. "I mean, I am, but…it's a long story. If the Rangers knew my secret, they wouldn't trust me anymore." He started tapping his feet. "Do you think Professor Cog sent my team to your world?"

"It's a safe bet," Scott replied and Jayden nodded. "But, if they're there, then my team will help them."

"They're not there," Melody replied, walking back over to them, sliding her Samuraizer back into her pocket. "If what I did worked; they're not in your dimension."

"Then, where are they?" Jayden asked.

Melody paused for a moment, pursing her lips. "They're in the Elemental World…where Jaeger came from," she replied and Jayden's eyes widened slightly. "Jaeger will take care of them."

"They went _where_?" Scott asked, whipping around to face Melody.

"It's a long story," Melody replied, pulling a white object out of her pocket.

Jayden instantly recognized what it was when Melody popped off the cap, jabbing the sharp end into her arm. Her lip twitched slightly, briefly showing her pain. Seconds later, beeps filled the air and she put the cap back onto the object and looked at the screen on the side. A look of confusion crossed her face for a split second, but Jayden was able to catch it.

"What?" Jayden asked.

Melody shook her head, "Nothing."

Jayden groaned, "Dammit, Mel." Melody arched an eyebrow. "I'm tired of hearing that word come out of your mouth."

Melody gave a small smile. "Better get used to it," she replied.

"You can't keep these things bottled up," Jayden commented.

Melody clicked her tongue, but didn't say anything. He tensed for a moment, wondering if she was really going to say something. With the idea resurfacing that she could read minds, he was worried about what she knew and wasn't telling. But, he had no idea how to bring it up, in case he let his own secret out. And after seeing how mad Melody could get, he wasn't sure if he could handle the anger directed towards him. Most of all, he knew he wouldn't be able to take the look of hurt and betrayal that was sure to sprout on her face, or any of the other Rangers' faces, as soon as she understood.

"What is that thing?" Scott asked, motioning towards the white device.

"That's also a long story," Melody replied, turning to face him. "But, one I'm willing to share once we get back to the house." An amused look crossed her face. "By the way, Mentor's not too happy with you about taking his motorcycle."

"And old man like that doesn't need a sweet ride like that," Scott replied, waving his hand in the air. "You're too—"

"Old school?" Melody asked, raising her eyebrows. She shared a smile with Jayden. "Don't let Mentor hear you say that."

"We should get going," Jayden said, getting down from the crate. "We parked the car over here."

* * *

Mia, Mike, Emily, Kevin, and Antonio let out groans of pain as they slammed into the ground. Jaeger merely peered down at them, having landed on his feet.

"Y'all alright?" Jaeger asked, as they started to get up from the ground. "First steps always tricky."

"I'm alright," Emily said, sitting up. Her eyes widened when she realized she was in Mike's arms. "Mike! I'm sorry! Did I land on you?"

"No, I caught you," Mike replied, sitting up, rubbing the back of his head. He then gaped at her. "You're not morphed anymore."

"Neither are you," Emily replied looking down at her gloveless hands. "Guys. What's going on?"

"Where are we?" Mia asked, looking around, realizing they were sitting in the middle of a park. "This doesn't look like Panorama."

"That's because it's not," Jaeger replied. The Rangers did a double take when they actually looked at him. "What?" He then nodded. "You're so used to seeing me in my human form, I got it."

His small, lion ears poke out from the top of his hair, twitching with each slight sound. His nose was more flat and he had whiskers coming out of his cheeks. His tail poked out of a hole in the back of his jeans, swishing back and forth, and he was shoeless.

"Who are you?"

Everyone turned to see a girl with short, flowy, pure white hair, with some gray feathers highlighting her hair, walk over to them. Her mouth was in a firm line to accompany the stern expression on her face. She was holding a dagger in her hand and was pointing that sharp object towards them.

"Excuse me?"Antonio asked, staring at her. And there was good reason to stare as well, as she had a pair of white wings coming out of her shoulder blades.

"I said 'who are you'?" the girl repeated.

"Stand down, Nascha," Jaeger said in a calm tone, putting his hands up defensively. "They're friends of mine. They mean no harm."

Nascha peered over at Jaeger, her amber eyes narrowing slightly before they widened. "Jaeger?" she asked, before she relaxed into a smile. "Didn't recognize you. All that time you spend away…you look good."

"As do you," Jaeger replied with a nod. "Have the same job I see."

"They can't get rid of me, I'm one of the best," Nascha replied with a proud smile, replacing her dagger in the small holster on her hip. Then her wings stretched to its actual wingspan and started to flap a little bit. "Just make sure you stay out of trouble. I'll be sure to tell The Lady that you've returned. I'd assume that she'd be paying you a visit."

"Will do, and thank you," Jaeger replied with a nod. He watched as Nascha lifted herself into the air with a few powerful strokes before she took off across the sky. "So, I'm assuming you guys have lots of questions."

"Hell, yeah," Mike cried, dusting the dirt off of his clothes. "Most important; where the fucking hell are we?"

"Home," Jaeger replied simply.

"But, you've already said that we're not in Panorama," Kevin said, looking around the park. It sure wasn't the same park they were used to seeing, but it looked like any normal city.

"Home," Antonio repeated, staring at Jaeger. "We're in your home."

"Welcome to the Kingdom of Concordia," Jaeger said, spreading his arms out to the sides, slowly spinning in a circle. "My home; I was raised here, learning how to utilize my powers and to learn how to be a proper guardian once I was assigned to Melody."

"Whaaaaat?" Kevin asked, looking around, putting his hand to his head. "But…but this looks…it's…_normal_."

"Did you think I lived in the clouds or something?" Jaeger asked, making his way out of the park. "Come on, I'm going to take you to my home. Who knows how long you're going to be here?" He started walking backwards. "I'm going to give you a crash course in everything that has to do with the elemental world."

He clapped his hands together and started to explain, "When your kids are born, they're born with a power, a spirit animal, and three forms. So for me, darkness, lion, and my lion cub form, my large lion form, and my human form as this—" he motioned towards his body, "is what I look like normally. But, only your parents know about all of this. They don't tell you until you show your first instances of your powers, usually around five years old. From there, you have a ceremony which officially starts your training. Depending on your powers, your parents can choose to have you learn in Concordia or one of the other cities, for people who have the power of darkness, you go to the City of Umbras."

"In the City of Umbras, only people who have the power of darkness live there. In the city of Ignis; its fire wielders, in the City of Aquare, it's—"

"Water," Kevin spoke up.

"Exactly," Jaeger replied with a nod.

"So, like, you're basically real life Avatar: The Last Airbender?" Mike asked, an excited look on his face.

"You could look at it like that, yes," Jaeger replied with a nod. "It's not unheard of to be able to control all of the elements, but it's extremely rare. _Extremely_. Lady Aurelian, the Queen of Concordia, started out with Air, however, because she rules over Concordia, she's had to spend years learning how to conjure and control all the elements." He then paused, making a face. "So…yeah, like Avatar."

"Sweet," Mike said with a grin, rubbing his hands together.

"So, what do the people here learn?" Antonio asked. "And what was up with that bird girl?"

"Concordia is Latin for unity," Jaeger replied, scratching the side of his neck. "Or, at least, one of the many words that mean unity. Everybody can live here, but you don't have to if you don't want to. So, anyway, once you turn ten, do you choose what you want to do with your life. For example, I always knew I wanted to be a guardian, and that's what I told Lady Aurelian when I came of age of choice. You have another ceremony at that age, but to be appointed who you're to guard over."

"Mel," Emily said and Jaeger nodded. "Do you get to choose who you're going to be a guardian of?"

"Yes and no," Jaeger replied with a frown. "No; because once you're born they're selected for you, but if you really don't think you'll have a connection with them, then you can choose. I must point out that it's important to know that you can only be guardians of other elementals. 1 out of every 5 people on Earth are elementals. But, not all of them ever awaken their powers. And sometimes after they do; it doesn't always work out for the guardian."

"What do you mean?" Mia asked.

"I've seen this happen a fair few times," Jaeger said, suddenly looking said. "Once you choose to be a guardian, your learning and training intensifies. You learn combat moves, the positives and negatives of each of your attacks, what happens if you combine attacks, what happens if you reveal yourself to a mortal, stuff like that. But, people get scared when they unlock their powers; they don't understand what's going on and they reject their guardians. They come back here to stay, never fulfilling their roles that they chose in life."

"That's so sad," Emily said with a frown. "To have to work that hard and have it suddenly ripped away from you?" She stopped walking, suddenly looking horrified. "I wonder if that's how Serena felt when I took her place."

"Emily, she didn't plan on getting sick, and neither did you," Mia said, walking over to the Yellow Ranger, putting her arm around her shoulders in a hug. "Serena would be proud of what you've accomplished."

"She really should, Emily," Jaeger said, giving her a warm smile.

"Wait, wait," Kevin said, shaking his head. "So, during your training, how do you know when it's time to go help who you're guarding? How do you know that your training is done? And is all you do, just protect them? And from what?"

"You just feel it," Jaeger replied. "It's hard to explain. You get a warm feeling when they've awakened their powers, and it normally only happens when said person is in a situation where they need help. Then, you go and talk to Lady Aurelian about leaving, and there's a third ceremony before you leave where you fully accept your responsibilities and your mentor agrees that you have been taught as much as you could and they're ready to send you off on your own."

"Yes, we protect those that we are assigned to, and from whatever it is that makes them worthy of being chosen as someone to guard over in the first place. Sometimes it's as short as a month, sometimes for years. It depends on the person. But, you'll know when you're job is done and it's time for you to return home. But, we do see our families from time to time. When we're not summoned, which is a different sign for different guardians, for me, it's when Mel does her special whistle for me, we're able to come back here, or to wherever you live. I come back here."

He suddenly stopped short, causing the other Rangers to bump into him. A growl suddenly rumbled in his throat and his green eyes narrowed into slits, his tail twitching faster than it was before. "What do you want, Azure?" he growled at the orange cat that sat in the middle of the path in front of them.

"Hey, isn't that the neighborhood cat from back home?" Emily asked, her jaw dropping in shock.

"That's no ordinary cat," Jaeger replied and before their eyes, the cat transformed into a girl, who was a head shorter than Jaeger, had Orange shoulder length colored hair. Her piercing eyes were dark blue, and she also had short, rounded ear poking out of her hair, and a tail poking out of the back of her jeans, although hers resembled a lioness rather than a male lion's tail like Jaeger's. And like Jaeger, she was barefoot. "She's a guardian as well."

"That's not possible," Kevin gasped, blinking rapidly.

"Indeed it is, Kevin," Azure replied, walking over to them, barely making a sound with her footfalls. "And not only that, I'm Melody's replacement guardian."

"Replacement?" Antonio repeated, looking back between the two guardians. He saw the pained look cross Jaeger's face before the guardian dropped his gaze to his feet, setting his jaw. "Dios mío."

"Jaeger hasn't gotten to this part of the story," Azure crossed her arms over her chest, looking uncomfortable, "and something tells me he wouldn't actually tell you, but every elemental is assigned _two_ guardians. One main guardian and one back up in case the first one doesn't hold up to their duty."

"You've been around for a little while," Kevin slowly said, glancing over at Jaeger who's hands were clenched into fists. "Has…Jaeger failed?"

"Yes," Azure replied after a moment of silence. Mia and Emily gasped, tears instantly forming in their eyes. "I was sent to bring him back here, to have the ceremony to trade rolls and have Jaeger step down." She then fixed Jaeger with a pointed look. "He's been trying to get rid of me, which also goes against our code."

"Sorry," Jaeger muttered, swallowing thickly.

"Dude, that's messed up," Mike said with a shake of his head. "Dude, Jaeger, is there anything you can do?"

"I didn't want Mel to know," Jaeger said, speaking to Azure more than anyone else. "It's my fault…I didn't teacher—" he swallowed thickly, finally looking up, tears sliding down his cheeks. "Please don't take her from me."

"I'm sorry," Azure said with a frown, looking upset as well. She walked over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "You know I don't want to do this. I know you care so much about her; you've been with her for three years. But, you knew the risks."

"She wasn't ready," Jaeger said, shaking his head. "I know she wasn't. She's ready now, just give me another chance. I'll do it, I promise." He started breathing quickly, pushing Azure's hands from his shoulders. "She wasn't…I wasn't ready. I'll do it. She'll do it, I promise."

"Come with me to talk to Lady Aurelian," Azure said in a quiet tone. "Maybe we can work something out. You know she hates this as much as I do." She then turned towards the Rangers. "Kevin, Mia, Antonio, Emily, and Mike; I'm sure you all have a lot of questions." She gave a deep bow. "I promise you, if you follow me to the castle, Lady Aurelian will answer your questions to the best of her abilities. You were meant to come here today. Despite the fact that you're not purely an elemental, you will help save the Elemental World."

* * *

**A/N: **Ok, so Clash of the Red Ranger is instead going to be three chapters. But, you finally figured out what was wrong with Jaeger. Well, kind of. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm almost on Christmas Break guys. Once I'm on break, I'll update more frequently. Promise.

I have a new poll on my profile to answer the question, "_Do I update in a timely fashion_?"

**~MysticMelody101~**


	17. Chapter 17: Back to Normal?

**.:Chapter Seventeen – Back to Normal?:.**

* * *

"I don't think I've ever seen him pace so much in my life," Mike commented as he watched Jaeger walk back and forth in front of a large door in the castle they were now sitting in, "even when he's a cat." He, Emily, Kevin, Mia, and Antonio were sitting in the vast lobby outside of the large room that Lady Aurelian and Azure were talking in. Kevin and Mia were a little ways off, looking around in awe and Antonio was making goofy faces and saying random things to one of the guards standing outside of the room, trying to get him to crack.

"I don't blame him," Emily said with a sigh, brushing her hair out of her face. "I feel so bad for him. To know that he's made such a strong bond with Mel, and that could be taken away at any minute?"

Mike's cheek twitched and he put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a one-armed hug. "You've been thinking about Serena a lot lately, haven't you?"

"I just really miss her, and being home," Emily replied with a shrug, "I understand that this wasn't going to be easy, and I was so eager to make my sister proud, but I never actually thought about how long I'd be away from my family." She then looked over at him. "Don't you miss being home?"

"Ah," Mike said, removing his arm from around her shoulders. "My dad and I kind of left on bad terms. But, I do miss my friends." He gave a short laugh. "You saw earlier how much. It was just a big, sudden change for me. I thought being a Ranger would be fun, and it is, but…I just hate having people breathing down my neck all the time. I like having fun when I learn things." He then looked over at Kevin. "Kevin and my dad have a lot in common; they're all work, work, work."

Emily gave him a small smile. "If it makes you feel any better, when we train together, I feel like I learn more when I'm having fun while doing anything," Emily said, and Mike found himself smiling in return. "I know Jayden had some reservations about it at first, but I think he's found that as long as we learn what we're supposed to be learning, than he's fine with it."

"If only Kevin could be like that," Mike commented with a shake of his head. He looked over at the Blue Ranger and lowered his voice. "I mean, even Jayden's learned to open up. I understand that Kevin is serious about his training, but he doesn't realize that I am too, just in a different way."

Mike barely showed it to anyone, but he took every put down Kevin tossed his way, to heart. Mike worked hard every day, trying to be just like Kevin and Jayden, wanting to be as skilled as them, with every negative comment out of Kevin's mouth, it only made him feel like he would never be as good. He'd never be as good as his father wanted him to be. And, that just made him want to have more fun; it was how he coped with things, taking his mind off of what was bothering him for a while.

"You're a great Samurai, Mike," Emily said, gently squeezing his wrist. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. What matters is what you think about yourself." She then laughed a little bit, bowing her head. "I guess I should take my own advice. I'm always comparing myself to you guys, wondering if I'll ever be as good as you."

"Emily, you've proven time and time again that you deserve to be here," Mike said, raising his eyebrows, "I still can't get over how you were able to get rid of that Nighlok because you didn't listen to his insults. That takes guts. That also shows that you have confidence in yourself." He then nudged her shoulder with his own. "Not to mention, you were beside me every step of the way when we were fighting that Nighlok by ourselves. We're a great team."

"Yeah," Emily agreed with a nod, "we are."

"Jaeger," called out a gruff voice. Everyone turned to see Jaeger stop in his tracks and turn to face the guard that Antonio was making faces at, opening the door that Jaeger was pacing outside of. "You can come in, now."

"Come on," Jaeger said, motioning for the Rangers to follow him. He gave a brief head nod to the guard and walked through the doors, up the white carpet, stopping at a place in front of where Lady Aurelian sat, in between two other guards who stared straight ahead, holding spears in their hands.

Aurelian peered down at the guardian in front of her, her soft grey eyes, moving over him. She smoothed out her pale blue dress, before addressing everyone. "First off, I would like to welcome you all to Concordia," she said, giving a brief smile to Mia, Kevin, Mike, Emily, and Antonio, "as I'm sure Azure has let you know, it is a blessing that you have arrived for you may be the only ones who can help protect this world."

She then turned towards Jaeger, who was staring at the ground."Jaeger," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, pain evident, "Look at me, please. Let me see you." Jaeger barely tilted his head up. Aurelian rose from her seat and took a step forward, but Jaeger tensed. "Let me-"

"With all due respect, m'lady, I feel that I am not worthy of looking at you as I have let you down, and did not fulfill the aspects of my job for which I have trained long and hard for," Jaeger explained, all the words leaving his mouth in a rush.

"You do not need to explain," Aurelian said, gaining Jaeger's attention. He finally lifted his head to peer at her. "I do agree, that you have gone against everything you've been taught, but I'm willing to overlook that as I have had time to spend with your ward."

Jaeger hesitated, looking around at the other Rangers before lowering his voice into whisper, leaning forward slightly. "You…you're the woman she's dreamed about," Jaeger said his eyebrows knitting together. "Forgive me as I did not recognize who she was referring to." He gave a quick bow.

"Now, now," Aurelian said as she gathered her dress in her hands, slowly making her way down the steps towards Jaeger. Azure moved behind her and grabbed the hem of her dress. She stepped over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. His eyes were cast back down at the floor. She clicked her tongue when she saw that he was on the verge of tears. "I did not expect you to as I have been reaching out to her under a name that…only my brother has referred to me as."

She then looked at the Rangers, motioning them forward. "Azure has done the right thing, reporting to me about what has been going on," she explained.

"Ma'am, I don't think it's fair for you to suddenly take Jaeger away from Mel," Mike spoke up, ignoring the reproachful look Kevin threw in his direction. "It's not fair!"

"With all due respect, Jaeger and Mel are more than just…just a job," Mia added, taking a small step forward. "They're best friends. They're family. Jaeger made a mistake, we all do. Please, don't punish him for something like this."

"These rules have been followed for centuries," Azure spoke up, her eyes flashing. "To change them for one, you'd have to change them for all. There hasn't been a problem before."

"Jaeger isn't _just_ Melody's friend," Emily added, messing with a loose thread on her jeans, "he's our friend, too. He's helped us in more ways than we can count. Both he and Mel, because they work so _well_ together." Emily glanced over at Jaeger before looking back at Aurelian. "They've taught us all how to work together. We've become stronger since they've been around."

Kevin sucked in a deep breath of air. "I apologize for speaking out of turn," he said, getting Aurelian's attention, "but, they're all right. They've been together for three years, ma'am. To have her suddenly lose her closest friend in the house, and have to re-learn how to be a team with someone new?" He gave Azure an apologetic look. "I just don't think it's fair. I ask you to look in the deepest part of your heart for some compassion. Please don't do this to her."

"To sum all of this up," Antonio said, waving his hand in the air, "it's just messed up."

Aurelian blinked, her jaw dropping slightly before an amused look crossed her face. "Well, I can't say I've ever met a group of kids from Earth as…passionate as you all are," she commented, clasping her hands in front of her.

"We're not kids!" Mike cried, wrinkling his nose. "We're the Samurai Rangers."

"Yes, young man, I'm completely aware of who you are, as I've been keeping a close eye on you for a while," Aurelian replied in a tight voice and Mike looked down at his feet. The silent reprimand was not lost on him. Emily gave him a small smile, which he briefly returned. "I understand what you all are saying and I agree. I do not wish to take Jaeger away from Melody."

The Rangers let out a collective breath of air and Jaeger looked up at Aurelian, have happy and half confused. "I—I don't understand, m'lady," he said, his voice cracking. He loudly cleared his throat, peering at her. "The rules state that—"

"The rules came from my brother, Orion," Aurelian explained, motioning for Azure to step closer to them, "Rules that I've been trying to change since he was exiled from this realm. Azure, I still need you to be ready, you will take Jaeger's place if something happens."

"Something like….he _dies_?" Antonio asked, his eyes widening. "You guys are, like, freaking _invincible_! You can die?" Kevin elbowed him hard in the side.

"I can understand your confusion," Aurelian stated, giving him a patient smile, "while, we are stronger than your average person, we, too can die. These are dark times indeed young Samurai, anything can happen. I just wanted everyone to be prepared."

"You know about Serrator" Kevin asked, licking his lips, "and Master Xandred and everything that's going on in our world?"

"It's my duty to know as our worlds are connected with each other," Aurelian explained, moving to sit down on the floor, tucking her legs underneath hear. She then turned to look at the guards. "You may go."

"I'm going to have to respectfully decline that request, Lady Aurelian," the guard to the right, with a Mohawk stated with a slight shake of his head. "It's not safe, you know that with the risk of Dek—"

"I'm capable of taking care of myself, however, I'd feel even better if you were to keep watch outside," Aurelian interrupted him, fixing him with an icy stare. The guard with the Mohawk looked like he was going to respond, but closed his mouth, gave a short nod, and walked off. "Azure, you will continue your training with your mentor, but I would also like for you to shadow Jaeger as well, to understand how he and Melody work together, for if you ever need to take his place, you can slide in easily."

"Given that Melody would _want_ to work with me," Azure reminded her.

"I can admit that Melody isn't one to accept change, but when it comes down to the fate of the earth, she'll do anything to make sure she can protect everyone in it," Jaeger said, crossing his arms over his chest as she sat down. "My lady, you look like something is troubling you."

"Mia, Kevin, Mike, Emily, Antonio," Aurelian said, looking at the Rangers in turn, "it was no mistake that you were meant to arrive in the Elemental World; I just didn't suspect it would be so soon. Serrator has returned far earlier than I imagined. If he is not stopped, the world will be in turmoil."

"So, what else is new?" Mike asked with a roll of his eyes, earning an elbow to the side from Kevin.

Aurelian let out a tinkling laugh. "I see you like to, how do you teenagers say it, keep things real?" Mia, Kevin, and Emily laughed a little bit, exchanging glances, relaxing a little bit. "Yes, yes, I'm aware you know the dangers of Serrator appearing. But, I fear that his time in the underworld has increased his powers from what they used to be. The underworld changes you if you allow it to. I'm worried that something…compromised him while he was serving his time down there."

"What do you mean?" Mia asked, looking worried.

"It's hard for me to explain," Aurelian said, giving her an apologetic smile, "but, it can warp even the sanest human, being in the netherworld. I can only imagine its worse for those that aren't human at all." She brushed her hair away from her face. "I haven't seen my brother since he was banished, but I worry about where he has ended up. Some say he has passed away, but I haven't had any proof of that matter." She sighed, a distant look coming to her eyes. "I fear that if the rumors are true, his soul hasn't crossed over."

"When an elemental dies their soul can go to three places," Azure explained, sitting up straighter, "Heaven, hell, or to be reincarnated into another body."

"Four places," Jaeger corrected her, and Azure gave him a look, "you can just float around for the rest of your life. It's essentially up to what you've done in your life." He scratched the side of his neck, "Essentially what happens to you when you die on Earth. It's the same here."

"Yes, you see, I'm worried as Orion, was the most powerful elemental I've seen in years," Aurelian continued her explanation, "however the reason why he was exiled was that, in his greed to change how everything was structured around here, he went and killed our father, making himself, and in association myself, the next to rule the kingdom."

"But, what would make him want to do something like that?" Emily asked, her hands covering her mouth. "He was his _father_."

"Just like me, Orion was able to wield all of the elements, however his main control was over the power of darkness, much like Jaeger and Melody," Aurelian said, her mouth forming a grim line. "Unlike your friends, who wanted nothing but to use their powers to help people, staying as far away from the side effects of it, Orion wanted to use it to help himself. He didn't care if they took him over; he reveled in it. It made him stronger. He quickly became a former shell of the person I grew up with; it was hard for me to banish him from the lands."

Aurelian then turned towards Jaeger, giving him a hard stare. "It's imperative that you teach Melody how to handle the effects of her powers," she said to her, "you've had years to practice, so you know it won't possess you, but it's harder for her and she hasn't had the proper training."

"I apologize greatly for my hesitance to take her training to the next level," Jaeger said, bowing his head once more, "I've seen what she's like afterwards. After the first time, I was worried she'd just relive every dark moment of her life over and over, even if she dug up memories she had buried deep down. Getting to know her all of these years, I hate seeing her upset. Forgive me."

"Jaeger, you are one of the most dedicated warriors I've had under my rule, of course I forgive you," Aurelian replied, giving him a gentle smile. She then turned back to the other Rangers before briefly glancing out the window above their heads. "It is getting late. I will answer any and all questions you have to the best of my ability, but, I would suggest you stay here over night, and I'll send you back to your world in the morning."

"We should at least see if we can contact Jayden and—"

"Your Samuraizers won't work here, I'm afraid," Aurelian said, gently placing her hand over Kevin's forcing his hand back down into his lap. "We don't usually have humans interacting with us here, but when they do, they're accompanied by their guardian. In essence, we have charms protecting the city, effectively cutting you off from your friends back home."

The Rangers exchanged glances before they all started talking at once.

* * *

"Mel, wake up."

Melody blinked open her eyes before reaching her hand out from under her blanket, patting around her desk for her alarm clock. She pulled the clock back underneath her blanket and looked at the glowing red numbers.

"It's 7:00am!" Melody groaned, dropping the clock to the floor, pulling her blankets tighter around her body. "We have one more hour before we have to start training, Jayden. You won't like me when I'm deprived my full eight hours of sleep."

"I'm not all that fond of you right now, so…" Melody pushed her blanket off of her head and peered up at him. Jayden was already dressed in his training gear and was going through her drawers looking for hers. "Come on, get up. You wanted to try out your training regiment, right?"

"I've talked to Ji about it, but—"

"That's good enough for me," Jayden replied, grabbing her arm, practically pulling her out of bed. "Let's go."

"Are you feeling ok?" Melody asked, hanging upside down out of her bed, looking up, and kind of down, at Jayden.

"Just want to get some training done is all," Jayden replied, letting go of her arm, causing her to smack into the floor. "What with _him_ around, I don't think he'd be of any help to get our friends back." He shook his head as he walked over to the bedroom door, flicking on the light. "It's _his _fault the others are gone."

"As I explained to you last night, they should be fine, they're with Jaeger," Melody said as she rolled onto her stomach before pushing herself up onto her knees. "And _he_ has a name, it's Scott."

"Scott-Snot," Jayden said with a snort and a roll of his eyes, "we wouldn't be in this mess if he didn't let Professor Cog escape and wreak havoc here." He then gave her a pointed look. "Are you coming or not? I don't have problem training without you." Melody silently got to her feet, walking over to him, putting a hand on his forehead. "What are you doing?"

"I think you were in that water for too long and are coming down with something," Melody replied, giving him an odd look. "You're not acting like yourself."

"I feel fine," Jayden replied, batting her hand away. He gave a weird grin. "We can prove to him that just because we're '_old school_' doesn't mean we're not some of the best, if not _the _best, Rangers around."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Melody replied, waving her hand in the air.

"Good, good," Jayden replied with a series of nods before he started muttering to himself.

Melody paused when Jayden didn't move from where he was standing. "Get out," she said, deadpan, motioning towards the door. "I'll be out in a minute." She quickly got dressed and was twisting her hair up into a ponytail when she noticed that both Jayden and Mentor were hunched over the city map, worried looks on their faces. "What's up?"

"A major Nighlok force is gathering," Mentor replied, looking up at her, "I just don't understand how the Gap Sensor didn't go off." He shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "This just doesn't make sense."

"Unbelievable," Jayden muttered, shaking his head, looking at all of the flashing dots on the map to Panorama City.

"Whoa!" Melody cried, looking at all of the dots. More and more were popping up with each second, combining all the small dots in a large, pulsating one. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the map was malfunctioning." She then paused and looked over at Mentor. "I—it's _not_, is it?"

"We can handle it," Jayden muttered, turning to look at Scott as he walked into the room. "Nighlok army; should be up your alley. _If _you can handle it."

"Piece of cake," Scott replied with a snort, "for _me _anyway."

"What'd you just say?" Jayden asked, stepping closer to the Red RPM Ranger.

"You heard me," Scott replied, stepping closer to Jayden, the point of the beak of the eagle that sat on his helmet, jabbing Jayden in the forehead. He gave Jayden a hard shove. "No doubt there are some grinders out there, and your old school swords can't handle it."

"Don't touch me," Jayden shot back. "_We're _the current Samurai team, and we can handle anything."

"Oh, yeah?" Scott asked, giving Jayden's shoulders a hard shove.

"Yeah!" Jayden shoved Scott back.

Mentor and Melody's heads swivel from side to side as they watched the two Red Rangers go back and forth like Venus and Serena Williams at the US Open.

Jayden then slapped Scott's helmet with the palm of his hand, his upper lip curling into a sneer. "It's a good thing you're wearing that helmet or your ego would cause your head to _tilt_." He then spun on his heel, pulling his Samuraizer out of his pocket. "You coming or what? I'd rather have you fight beside me than this Neanderthal."

Melody blinked, when Jayden suddenly turned his attention towards her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you thought I was actually in the room," she commented after a moment of silence.

Jayden gave her an annoyed look. "Of course I know you're here," he said, his words dripping with massive amounts of 'duh'. "Can't really forget you." Melody gave him an odd look. "You're a great fighter, I need you out there by my side.

"Riiight," Melody said, turning towards Mentor, putting her hands on her hips. "It's your call, Mentor."

"Mel, stay here for now," Mentor commented, rubbing his chin, turning towards Jayden to speak to him. Jayden went to protest, but he continued talking. "If the other Rangers aren't back soon, and you're in real trouble, I'll send Mel down to help."

"Fine," Scott commented, before storming out of the house.

"_Fine_," Jayden shouted after him.

"Wait!" Mentor called after Scott. The RPM Ranger, stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Mentor. "I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but I'll find out." He then turned to face Melody. "Go into my room and get the book off my desk." Melody nodded and hurried off, returning moments later, with the book in question in her hands. "If you don't start working together, _none _of you will have an advantage over the Nighloks."

"Not only that, but if, and when the other Rangers return, they won't have their leader around to help them out," Melody added, crossing her arms over her chest, after handing Mentor his book.

Mentor pulled his Samuraizer out from between the folds of his robes. He drew a symbol in the air, striking the two Red Rangers with it, causing them to wobble before dropping to their knees. "That should do it."

"What's going on?" Jayden asked, grabbing his head, "I feel like I've been run over by a truck."

"Hypno Bolts," Melody explained, grabbing Scott's elbow, helping him to his feet, "Professor Cog hit you with them." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I think those bolts…_enhance_ your feelings of contempt. You've been taking shots at each other all morning."

"Jayden, we've got a problem," Mentor said, pushing Jayden towards the city map, "you've got to get down there right away." He then motioned Scott forward. "I need you both to listen to me. I think Professor Cog pit you against each other to make his job easier; to destroy the Rangers. What better way than to take out the two most powerful rangers by your own hands?"

"I don't understand," Scott commented.

"Not surprising," Jayden muttered under his breath and Scott's head snapped in his direction, but he ignored him. "What do you want us to do, Ji?"

"I want you to continue acting like you hate each other," Mentor replied and the two Rangers looked at each other over his shoulders. "Let Professor Cog _think_ his plan is working, then turn on him. I want you two to fight, but take out as many Moogers and Grinders as you can."

"We'll try and can get in contact with Jaeger and see if he and the other Rangers are ok while you're out," melody added.

"Got it," Jayden replied with a nod. He then looked over at Scott, still feeling a little bit of resentment for the Red RPM Ranger, Hydro Bolts or not, he was still annoyed at how cocky he was, and how he insulted his way of living. "See you later, buddy."

"One last thing," Mentor cried, placing his hand on Jayden's shoulder. He reached into the folds of his robes and produced the Shark Disc. "Here; take this just in case."

"Thanks," Jayden replied, grasping the disc in his hand, he glanced over at Scott one last time before heading out the door. He grit his teeth, tightly gripping his Samuraizer in one hand, the shark disk in the other. He then made his way towards the front door growling, "Go Go Samurai!"

As soon as he stepped outside, he drew a kanji in the air with his symbol power to summon his horse. He smiled warmly behind his helmet, briefly running his hand down the white horse's flank. "Hey, Ace. How're you doing, buddy?" He then lifted himself into the saddle, and rode out of the backdoor.

_Great_, Scott thought with a shake of his head, following the Red Samurai Ranger. _Now, how am I supposed to get out there?_ He looked around the backyard and smiled when he saw Mentor's motorcycle sitting near him. _Perfect_.

Inside the house, Mentor, who was staring intently at the map of the city, looked up when he heard his motorcycle fired up, shortly followed by the sound of screeching tires. "Not again!" he groaned, standing up straight. "I'm going to have to give that boy a lesson in respecting people's property."

"We've got bigger fish to fry, Mentor," Melody commented, "no pun intended."

* * *

"Alright, you guys ready to go?" Jaeger asked, that next morning, pulling a clean shirt over his head as he entered the dining hall of the castle. He stopped when he saw a woman sitting at the table. "Mom."

"My son," the woman said as she got up from her seat to give him a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright. Aurelian called for me this morning to see you before you headed off again."

"Thanks, mom," Jaeger replied, quietly, hugging her back. "Guys, this is my mom, Jayna." The Rangers gave a brief hello. They could easily see the resemblance between the two of them; they had the same shade of forest green eyes, the same dark hair, and the same facial structure. "I would've come to see you, but not under these circumstances."

"I understand," Jayna said with a fond smile, patting his cheek. "Are you getting enough to eat? You look thin."

Jaeger blushed. "Mom," he said in a low tone, "I've just been busy. I'm eating fine, Mel's been treating me great, don't worry."

"Hard not to," Jayna replied with a sigh. She gave him another tight hug. "I'm off to speak to Lady Aurelian today about what's to come." She started to get misty eyed. "I know you're doing great things, but I worry you won't return home."

"I'll come home, mom, don't worry," Jaeger said, bending slightly to give his mom a kiss on the cheek before grasping her hands in his. "Tell the little kids I said 'hi.' I wish I could see them." He let out a deep breath of air. "Mom, you're not…disappointed in me, are you? For what I've done? Or rather, didn't do?"

"Of course not!" Jayna cried, her eyes widening, "Jaeger, I admire you standing up for your ward. I always knew you were going to make a great guardian. She glanced up when she heard a bell chime. "I must get going." She looked over Jaeger's face one last time before leaving.

"How long has it been since you've seen her?" Mia asked, quietly as Jaeger turned to face the Rangers, who were silently watching the exchange.

"About two years," he commented, clearing his throat after it cracked, badly, "I used to visit home a lot, but Mel's always needed me here." He cleared his throat again. "I didn't know she was coming. I apologize."

"Why?" Emily asked, giving him a confused look as she spread butter on some of the toast that she held in her hand. "Your mom seems lovely."

"I just don't think it fair to see my family, given that I can come and go, when you can't," Jaeger replied with a frown. He then looked over at Emily. "Especially yourself." Emily blinked in surprise. "I've been getting a sad vibe from you, recently."

"Oh," Emily blushed, her smile fading a little, "yeah, um, it's the anniversary of when my sister got sick. I guess I've just been thinking about her a lot lately."

Jaeger didn't reply, but nodded slightly. "I sense trouble down in our world," he said, getting back to the point, his ears twitching slightly. "We need to get going. Now."

"Dude!" Mike cried, spitting mouthful of muffing onto the table. "We're still eating! Look at this great spread! It's _so_ much better than what we could get—_ow!_" He bent over to rub his shin where Antonio kicked him, staring pointedly at Mike, shaking his head from side to side. He then tilted his head over towards Mia. "I mean, dude, let's get going." He cracked his knuckles. "I could kick some Nighlok butt right now."

Kevin suddenly stood up walked over to Jaeger, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I've got to admit, I've got more respect for you and Mel and what you two have to go through," he stated, giving Jaeger's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'm honored to fight beside you."He then removed his hand from Jaeger's shoulder and offered it for a handshake. Jaeger's lips twitched as he shook Kevin's hand in reply.

"Don't we have some Nighlok to fight?" Antonio asked, getting to his feet, a confident look on his face.

"And with those Grinders out there, Jayden and Scott are going to need all the help they can get," Mia added, brushing the back of her jeans with her hand as she stood up. "We should get going." She then gave Jaeger a warm smile. "I appreciate you showing us around. I hope one day to be able to return under better circumstances."

"I'd love to have you back," Jaeger replied with a warm smile before his eyes turned to slits as he tilted his head to the side. His ears twitched again. "We have no time to lose; let's go."

"Jaeger," Mike said as the Rangers followed him through halls, and out of the castle, "you _are _going to tell Mel about Azure, right?"

"Of course I will," Jaeger replied, absentmindedly, "we don't keep secrets from each other. Sure, I may withhold some information, like this, for a while, but I do tell her everything." She walked over to Azure and Aurelian who was standing in the middle of the vast lawn and gave a bow. "Thank you for everything."

"Just don't mess up, Jaeger," Azure said with a shake of her head, "I don't want to have to take your place. Not like this."Her upper lip curled into a brief smile, "and don't get yourself killed."

"Don't worry about that," Jaeger replied, evenly. He spotted the confused looks on the Ranger's faces and said, "She's not too happy being an alternate. Granted, not a lot of guardians are as what you're essentially doing is waiting for your time to come to serve your skills. Some never do." He gave Aurelian another bow. "I thank you for the second chance."

"You're welcome, young one," Aurelian replied with a brief smile. She then lazily waved her arm to the side, a portal instantly opening. "Your friends are waiting for you. Good luck in your mission, Rangers."

"Thank you," Kevin replied with a nod before the Rangers morphed. "Let's go guys." He took a deep breath, stepping into the portal, his friends following behind him. Swirls of color and light shot in front f his eyes as he was jerked forward. Before he knew it, he was standing on rocky, dusty ground beside Jayden and Scott, who were both morphed and in Super Samurai Mode and Shark Attack Mode respectively."Hey, guys!"

"Good timing," Jayden commented and Mike clapped him on the back.

"So, did you miss us?" the Green Ranger asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Jayden replied.

"What _did_ we miss?" Emily asked, looking at Professor Cog and the Nighlok that stood before her. "And who is this guy?"

"Sergeant Shred," Jayden replied, resting his sword on his shoulder, "but now that you guys are here, there's no way either of them stand a chance." He then gave Mike a gentle elbow in the side. "Now, let's finish what we started in the best way we know how."

"You got it, dude," Mike said, giving him a thumbs up.

Scott started off the attack, striking Sergeant Shred with shots from his Nitro Blaster. Then Kevin, Mike, Mia, Emily, and Antonio rushed forward, striking the Nighlok one by one before doing the same to Professor Cog. Jayden and Scott dealt the final blow to Professor Cog as they jumped forward, striking him with their most powerful attacks. The ground shook as the two monsters exploded in a ball of fire. Jayden and Scott de-morphed out of their Shark Attack and Super Mode suits as the other Rangers rushed up to them.

"Didn't look like you really needed help, mi amigo," Antonio said, clapping Jayden on the shoulder, grinning behind his helmet. "You've got it all covered."

"Not quite, it's time for us to fight the _real_ battle," Jayden replied, motioning towards the ridge they were standing near. They all walked closer to the ridge, and let out gasps of shock when they saw the army of Moogers, normal sized and giant.

"Dude," Mike gasped, "it's more than when we were rescuing Mentor and Antonio." He turned to look at the Gold Ranger."Good thing you're here to help us out, now."

"There's a Nighlok at the back," Jaeger commented squinting his eyes, "and some Spit Fangs. We've got our work cut out for us—" he then transformed into his lion form, "but we can do it." He then let out a loud, menacing, roar, which made the Rangers jump.

"If that's not going to get us fired up, I don't know what will," Mike said, bouncing his weight from foot to foot.

"Time to call in the Calvary," Jayden said, grinning behind his helmet. The Rangers jumped high in the air, drawing the kanji for their war horses, landing on the animals' backs. Scott moved to get into the red car that was sitting a ways away, motioning for Antonio to join him. Letting out a loud battle cry, Jayden led the charge into battle.

* * *

"And then there was this bird girl that thought we were trespassers," Mike said, his eyes wide with excitement as he, the Samurai Rangers, and Scott walked through the train station. He was retelling their story to Melody who had missed everything. "And she was so _cool_. She could fly cause she's part owl and her name is Nascha!"

"And we met Jaeger's mom," Mia added, giving the ca that sat on the Purple Ranger's shoulder a warm smile. "She's really pretty."

"With how handsome Jaeger is, I don't doubt it," Melody commented as she scratched Jaeger's back. "I haven't met her, but Jaeger talks a lot about her." She let out a sigh. "The Elemental World sounds awesome, I'm glad you were able to go."

"I'll take you one day, I promise," Jaeger commented, closing his eyes as Melody ran her hand over her face. "But, I have to tell you something." He jumped off her shoulder and turned into his human form, grabbing her shoulder. Melody looked curiously at him. "Um, you know that orange cat that's been hanging around?"

"Yeah," Melody replied. Her eyes then widened slightly. "Oh my god, Zack, was right! I'm starting to turn into a crazy cat lady!"

"Hardy har har," Jaeger said with a roll of his eyes. "This is serious, Mel." He grabbed her arm, stopping her from walking. "The cat's name is Azure, and she's from my home. She's been following you." Melody arched an eyebrow. "She's my replacement." Melody's eyes then narrowed slightly. "When you train to become a guardian, you have someone training along beside you, ready to take your place if you mess up."

"And you messed up?" Melody asked with a slow nod. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, I did," Jaeger replied, giving a brief smile. "I haven't been training you to your full potential; I haven't taught you what I can do, which is to be able to truly harness the power of the darkness, and to not be overpowered it." He sucked in a deep breath before letting it out. "Lady Aurelian was able to give me a second chance, and Azure will still be around watching, but if something happens, she'll be taking my place." He waited for Melody to say something, but she didn't. "Are you mad at me?"

"…No," Melody replied with a shake of her head. "I'm disappointed that you didn't tell me before, but there's no way I can be mad knowing you have a second chance." She then stepped forward to give him a hug. "You've been around for so long…you're my best friend. I don't know what I'd do if you were suddenly taken from me."

Jaeger grinned as he hugged her back. "It's going to be a lot of hard work," he warned her, "and you're going to relive some things I know you'd rather put behind you."

"If it means keeping you here, and helping the Rangers, then I'm all for it," Melody replied, lifting her fist for him to bump with his own.

"Great," Jaeger replied with a warm smile. He laughed a little bit when Mike grabbed Melody's arm to continue telling her his story, with Emily jumping in to explain some parts he left out or got confused. He smiled at Mia when he noticed that she was standing a little ways away. "Well, I think she handled that well."

"You really care about her, don't you?" Mia asked, falling into step beside.

"Been around her for three years, kind of can't be help it at this point," Jaeger replied, scratching the side of his chin, "besides, I love her." Mia raised her eyebrows. "Not like that." Mia's eyebrows moved higher up her forehead. "Seriously. Besides, I can tell when her heart belongs to someone else. It kind of always is." Mia looked like she wanted to say something

"She's lucky to have a good friend like you," Mia said, "we all are." Jaeger turned into his cat form and jumped onto her shoulder.

"I know," he commented, before burying his face into her neck, a purr rumbling in his throat.

Mia laughed, scratching his back. She stopped herself just in time to avoid colliding with Kevin's back as he suddenly stopped walking. She looked around to see that they were standing at a train, its doors open, Scott standing in front of it.

"Well, it's time for me to take the fight against evil back to my own world," Scott said with a heavy sigh, looking around the train station. When he looked back, Jayden was offering his hand to him. Scott hesitated for a brief moment before shaking his hand.

"Thank you," Jayden said to him, "for helping us save the city."

"No, dude, thank _you_," Scott replied with a short laugh, shaking his head. "If Professor Cog had succeeded, my world would've been in _big _trouble." He then gave Jayden a punch on the shoulder. "You guys are pretty good; even if you tragically _are _old school."

"No one ever said old school was a bad thing," Melody commented, crossing her arms over her chest. "I should know."

"Really," Jayden agreed, before turning towards her, "and I don't think I've properly thanked you and Jaeger for helping us. So…thanks."

"Ain't no thang," Melody replied with a smirk and a shrug, "Besides, you guys have kind of grown on me. Can't split on you now." She paused, glancing at Kevin. "Except for him, maybe."

"Thanks for that," Kevin said with a roll of his eyes.

There was a dinging sound and Scott let out a sigh, "Well, it's time for me to head out," Scott said, giving a small wave. He didn't get far as Jayden grabbed his arm. "Yes?"

"As I said before, we haven't formally met until I can look you in the eyes," Jayden commented.

Scott peered at him for a moment before he started to chuckle, "Dude, it's not my eyes you need to be looking into," he commented and Jayden gave him a confused look. Scott lowered his voice. "Just some advice: you need to loosen up. I understand you've got a hard thing to deal with in your life, but you'd be surprised about what…or _who_ could take your mind off things. Being the Red Ranger is some serious business, but having your friends around makes it easier."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jayden said, sliding his hands into his pockets, glancing over at his team.

"As for the other thing," Scott said before his visor shot back, revealing his face for a brief moment before sliding back into place, "how was that?"

"Perfect," Jayden replied with a small smile, "I hope you and your team is successful and destroys the treat to your dimension."

"Thank you," Scott replied with a nod, "same to you." Jayden gave another nod to rejoin his team, and then Mike hurried after Scott, stopping him as he put a foot on the train.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you guys wanted me to stay," Scott commented.

"Even I have to admit that you've got some pretty sick moves," Mike said with a grin. "Anyway, I wish you could de-morph so I could say goodbye face to face."

"I can only do this for ya," Scott replied, his visor retracting for a second time. "Bye, Mike." His visor then slid back into its place. "Good luck with Emily, by the way."

Mike's eyes popped open in shock for a moment before he started laughing nervously. "What?" he asked in between laughs, "That's…that's, no!"

"As you saw, I _do_ have eyes under here," Scott said, shaking his head. "_And _I heard your comment about looking at her when I first arrived." Mike pressed his lips together, blushing. "I see the way she looks at you." Scott looked over at the group of Rangers. "Do me a favor, make sure Jayden actually loosens up and _really_ learns how to be a teenager. Even if that means that he experiences…_things _he's not used to."

"Please," Mike scoffed, "all of us living in one house, you experience new things every day." He then took a step back, giving a two finger salute as the doors to the train slipped shut.

"Mike, let's go!" Kevin called over to him. "We're going out to get some pizza."

"Mr. Healthy Eating, is actually going to guzzle down some hot pie?" Mike asked with a grin, sauntering over to his friends. "I'm shocked and appalled."

"Leave him alone, Mike," Mia said with a small laugh, "we're going out to celebrate. Besides, I need a day off from cooking."

"I guess it really _is _a celebration, then," Mike muttered under his breath. Emily, who was closest to him, started to giggle.

"Mike—"

"I know, I know, be nice," Mike repeated what he thought she was going to say.

"That's not what I was going to say," Emily said, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets. Mike gave her a confused look. "I was going to say, thank you for always making me laugh, especially around this time. I don't know how I'd get through this without you."

"Anytime, Em," Mike replied with a warm smile, "anytime."

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry guys. I would've had this up earlier, but I got wrapped up in Christmas stuff (no pun intended). Of course I wasn't going to have Jaeger be taken from Melody. Hope you all have a great one!

**~MysticMelody101~**


	18. Chapter 18: Memory Loss

**.:Chapter Eighteen – Memory Loss:.**

* * *

"Ugh, I don't think I could eat another bite even if someone wanted to pay me a million dollars," Emily groaned as she trudged down the dark street, holding her stomach slightly as the ever-present dull ache knifed into a sharp pain before subsiding into a slightly sharper dull pain.

"It was worth it, though," Melody said with a sigh, one hand on her stomach as well, the other in her front pocket. Her face scrunched up in pain for a moment. "Should've eaten a little slower, though."

"I shouldn't have eaten it at all," Kevin groaned, shaking his head, "Starting my strict Samurai diet, and it went all downhill like _that_." He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

"Hey, we were celebrating," Mike said with a grin. He was the only one who didn't look to be sick to his stomach, or hurting, at all. In fact, he was happily munching on the lat bits of his waffle cone, holding onto a box of pizza. And _he _was the one that ate the most out of all of them. "Scott was pretty cool. It'd be awesome if we could've teamed up with the _whole_ RPM team at one time."

"Seriously, Mike, where does it all _go_?" Mia asked, looking over at him, half shocked and half amused. Mike just shrugged. "I don't know about you guys, but I think I could sleep for a week. I'm exhausted."

"Sorry I didn't help out in the battle as much," Antonio said with a frown. "I haven't really been helping you guys at all lately."

"Don't be silly, Antonio," Emily said, grabbing his arm, "you've been a great advantage to us since you came around. Don't think any less of yourself."

"Besides, Jayden had the upper hand with the Shark Disc," Mike added, "and dude, that thing is sick. Never would've had it if it wasn't for you."

"Antonio, you're a great asset to the team, don't forget that," Jayden spoke up, giving his friend a smile.

"Yeah, I guess I am, aren't I?" Antonio asked, puffing out his chest. "I mean, you wouldn't have had the Black Box either." Kevin rolled his eyes, but laughed a little bit.

"You're quiet tonight," Mia said to Jayden, slowing down her pace to fall into step with him. "You ok?"

"Yeah, just thinking about what's happened lately," Jayden replied, giving her a brief smile. "I always thought it was hard, just having Ji and me in my house, training day in and day out. I never once stopped to think how other people were living." He looked up at the stars in the sky for a moment. "It just makes me want to defeat Xandred even more. Who knows what'll truly happen if the Earth floods with Sanzu River water. Maybe Professor Cog gave him the idea of forcing _us _to live in a dome." He gave a shrug. "It just put everything into perspective, you know?"

"It must be so hard for them," Mia said, nodding in agreement, "but what I really admire is that they haven't given up. They haven't given up hope. I mean, Scott traveled to a strange place just to defeat Professor Cog, to make sure one of the threats to their dimension wouldn't make it back and wreak more havoc."

"Mhm," Jayden agreed.

"Jayden, I was wondering when you'd put Melody back on the team," Mia said and Jayden instantly let out a sigh of annoyance. "I know it's not my place to ask, you've said that both you and Mentor have to talk about it but—"

"Mentor and I _will_ talk about it, Mia," Jayden said to her, finality in his tone. But, she wasn't going to have the conversation stop there. He knew she wasn't. She was just like that; confronting a problem head on and not stopping until she knew for sure that everything was squared away.

"We wouldn't have been successful in that fight without Scott, and you know it," Mia said to him, throwing out her arm, stopping him from walking. "With Mel, it probably would've been easier."

"I don't want her to get hurt," Jayden replied, lamely. Mia raised her eyebrows. "I don't want _any_of you to get hurt."

"More importantly, Mel," Mia said with a nod.

"No, it's not like that," Jayden replied and Mia gave him a curious look. He was really starting to hate the fact that she was the "big sister" of the group. But, he knew that she just wanted to help him out. "I mean, well, yes, the more power she uses, the bigger the chance they could possess her and she could turn on us." He frowned. _But, it's more than that_.

He had been wondering for a while whether or not he was going to bring up to everyone else what she had told him the night Antonio and Mentor went missing, or how he was even going to bring it up. Not only that, but Melody never gave him permission to tell anyone else, so he knew that he'd be risking a verbal attack from her as well.

"We'll figure it out soon," he finally said after a moment of silence, "don't worry."

"Jayden," Mia said, peering closely at him, "do you li—"She stopped talking when he suddenly motioned for her to be quiet, tilting his head to the side. "Jayden?" Everyone instantly stopped and turned to face them, to see what was wrong.

Jayden didn't respond and didn't lift his head for a moment before finally looking over at her. "Thought I heard something," he commented in a low voice before slowly walking forward.

"I didn't hear anything," Kevin said, looking around. "What did it sound like?"

Antonio looked over at Melody. "D'you hear anything?" Melody raised her eyebrows, but shook her head.

"Me neither," Jaeger agreed from the ground, instantly transforming into his human form.

"It was probably nothing," Jayden said with a shake of his head. "Let's get back; Ji should be expecting us soon." They all barely took a few steps forward, before the ground in front of them burst into flames, stopping them in their tracks. Jayden looked around wildly, using his arm to cover his mouth from the smoke. He spotted a dark, moving object in an alley, walking over to them. _I thought I heard something._

"The memory of pure male fire," a gravelly voice called out over the flames, "Finally, it will be mine - and you won't be able to prevent me from taking it!"

There was a_ whooshing_ sound and the flames suddenly went out, the acrid smell of smoke still hung in the air. Eyes adjusting to the light, the Rangers heard a rhythmic scraping sound as a large black mass stalked towards them. As it stepped into the light, the figure was revealed to be a giant gryphon, walking on its back two legs. There were metal plates on its chest and around one eye; the eye glowing green while the other was red. The bird seemed to have muscles underneath its feathers.

The bird laughed, evilly. "Look how pathetic you are," he commented as the Rangers dropped into a fighting stance, "I'm going to enjoy the seconds when I'm taking the Red Ranger's memory."

"Leave Jayden alone," Kevin shouted, taking a step forward.

"Clearly you Rangers aren't going to make this easy for me," the Gryphon said with an odd wing twitch. "No matter, I'll just get rid of you ll." The wind suddenly picked up as the Gryphon flapped its large wings. Dust and dirt swirled around the Rangers, striking their legs, arms, and faces as they covered their eyes and mouths with their arms.

"Whoa!" Mike shouted as he felt himself starting to be pushed back, "my feet are sliding."

"We've got to do something," Antonio shouted before he spluttered, spitting out some dirt from his mouth. "It's destroying the buildings." Sure enough, there was a loud _clang _and an awning to a small flower shop was ripped off its hinges.

"_Samuraizer_!" Jayden shouted over the loud wind, reaching for his morpher with one hand. "Go go Samurai!" Jayden dropped his arm as his helmet appeared over his head, blocking all the dirt from getting into his eyes and mouth. "You don't know who you're dealing with, Nighlok."

"I suggest you start flapping your wings out of here before you get your butt kicked," Mike added, lazily holding his Spin Sword in his hand. "We'll make chicken wings out of you."

"Oh, is that so?" the Gyrphon commanded, standing up to reach his full height. "That's tough talk for someone who can't stay on their feet." He started flapping his wings again, the wind blowing harder this time. "My name is Gryphonator; nice to meet you. But, now I'm going to blow you away." The Rangers tried as hard as they could to stay on their feet, but the force of the wind was too much and they were thrown back, crashing into lamp posts, trash cans, and public mailboxes.

"Mind Scramble!" Gryphonator shouted, his red and green eyes glowing brighter and brighter with each passing second. Red and green pulses of energy shot out of his eyes and over at the fallen Rangers.

"Emily, watch it!" Mike shouted, slamming his shoulder into Emily's side, knocking her away from the attack on the Rangers. He then grabbed his Green Bear Disc from its pouch and slid it into his Spin Sword, giving it a hard spin. The other Rangers followed his lead, transforming their Spin Swords into their special weapons. "Forest Spear; Leaf Storm!"

Mike swung his Forest Spear forward, leaves suddenly appearing and swirling around him. It created a small tornado of leaves, swirling towards Gryphonator, slamming into its chest. The Nighlok merely cackled before using his wings to throw the attack back at the Rangers, like he did with every attack they threw his way.

"Dios mio," Antonio cried as he pushed himself up to his elbows after a hard slam into the ground. "I didn't know we were so powerful."

"This guy is too strong," Melody said, grabbing his gloved hand, helping him to his feet. "I think we have to retreat, Jayden."

"He's just going to keep throwing our attacks back at us," Mia added, quickly using her fan to dissipate the flames that were thrown their way. She then rotated her shoulder, making small noise of pain. "I don't know how much longer we can take."

"Well, then, let me make this easy for you," Gryphonator taunted, his red eyes suddenly increasing in brightness. There was another loud _whooshing_ sound and flames burst around the Rangers, twisting around them, climbing higher and higher in the sky. Smoke descended upon the Rangers, seeping into their helmets. "Mind Scramble!"

* * *

Jayden slowly blinked open his eyes, wincing as sunlight filtered into his room. He lifted his head slightly, and immediately felt the sore muscles in his neck stretch, causing him to groan in pain, dropping back down onto his pillow. He reached up his arms to rub at his eyes, and stopped, noticing they were covered in dirt and scratches.

"Where am I?" he whispered, looking around the room.

He relaxed when he recognized where he was, but he was confused as to how he got there, and what had happened to make him wake up in so much pain. He threw his blankets off of his legs and slowly got out of bed. He made his way down the hall, arms out, barely touching the walls with his fingertips.

His eyebrows knitted together when he heard voices he didn't recognize. _Who is that_? He continued to slowly walk forward, forcing his sore legs to keep moving. He peeked his head around the corner, and his eyes widened slightly when he spotted five teenagers he didn't recognize, eating breakfast at the table with Mentor.

He reached into his jeans pockets (noticing his pants were covered with dirt) and pulled out his Samuraizer. Silently drawing the symbol for 'strength' into the air, his Spin Sword appeared into the air. He grabbed the handle and marched into the kitchen, instantly catching everyone's attention.

"Jayden!"

"You're ok!"

"How are you feeling?"

"Dude! What up with the sword?"

"Mentor, who are these people?" Jayden asked, looking from one teenager to the next. One had blonde hair, the other was Asian, one was African-American, one had shoulder-length, black hair, and one…was stuffing his face with bacon. "Why are they in the house?"

"What are you talking about?" the blonde asked, getting to her feet, walking towards him. Jayden pointed his Spin Sword at her nose, and she immediately stopped, letting out a squeak of surprise.

"Dude, put the sword down and enjoy some crispy bacon, Mia made," the boy with his mouthful of bacon said, waving a strip in the air. Jayden lowered his sword, slightly.

"Who's Mia?" he asked slowly, getting shocked looks from everyone. "And who are you?" He shifted his eyes to Mentor as he got to his feet. "Mentor, seriously, who are they?"

"Jayden, just calm down," Mentor said in a calm voice, walking over to Jayden, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Mia is the Pink Ranger. These are your team mates."

"Pink Ranger," Jayden repeated before shaking his head. "_Teammates_?" He scoffed and looked over at Mentor. "Ji, you _know_ I prefer to work alone. I don't need teammates."

"He must've gotten hit by the Nighlok's attack, too," 'Mia' said in a quiet voice, turning to look at the girl with black hair. "But, Melody, doesn't really remember anything at all. Jayden at least knows he's a Power Ranger. I just don't think he knows who _we _are."

"Would someone _please_ tell me what Power Rangers and Nighlok are?" 'Melody' asked, throwing her arms in the air, looking annoyed.

"Jayden, listen to me," Mentor said as she carefully took the sword from Jayden's hands, guiding him over to the table where he sat down. "Jayden, this is Mia, Emily, Mike, Kevin, and Melody; your teammates. You're the Red Ranger and head of the Samurai team." Everyone gave a short wave when their names were called.

"I know I'm the Red Ranger, Ji," Jayden said, looking around at all of the teenagers, "I know I'm the head of the Shiba Clan. But, I'm _not_ a leader. The Nighlok haven't returned."

"Yes, they have," Kevin replied, patiently, although he had a worried look on his face. "Look, just let us explain."

He, Mike, Emily, and Mia then took the time to explain to Jayden what had happened over the past year, why they were there, what monsters they had fought against, and the accomplishments they have made. Antonio had come in part way through the explanation, talking loudly about how much fish he caught, and Jayden shocked everyone by recognizing him, up until Kevin reminded them that when he first showed up, Jayden recognized him at that point.

"You must be mistaken," Jayden said with a short laugh, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Melody agreed, leaning back in her chair, "I mean, there's no such thing as monsters. And there's no such thing as Power Rangers." She then looked around at everybody, shaking her head before looking over at Antonio and Jayden. "I think I'd remember if I was on some sort of team with guys as cute as you two."

"I _knew _it," Antonio said with a grin as everyone else exchanged shocked looks.

"Look, Jayden, Melody," Mentor said, gaining everyone's attention, "you were attacked by a Nighlok and in turn, have lost your memories. According to the other Rangers, it was because of his attack called 'Mind Scramble." He then started to pace. "I can only assume that the Rangers will get their memories back if and when you destroy…Gryphonator, was it?"

"He seemed to only be targeting Jayden, much like the other NIghlok," Kevin said, rubbing his chin, "he referred to Jayden as 'Male Fire'."

"That's a common thing used in the Elemental World," a black cat explained as he jumped onto the island, sniffing at Antonio's bucket of fish. "Just like Mel is referred to as Female Darkness. Mia would be Female Air, Kevin is Male Water, and so on and so forth."

"Did you see that?" Melody gasped, her eyes widening. She got out of her seat and walked over to the island, peering curiously at Jaeger. "This cat can talk. That's pretty awesome."

"Don't you mean morphinomenal?" the cat asked hopefully and Melody gave him a confused look. "Never mind." His ears flattened against his head as Melody lifted him off the counter and into her arms. The cat spotted the confused looks on everyone's faces. "It's a term her old friend, Kimberly came up with when she first became a Ranger." His whiskers twitched. "She uses it all the time when she can't describe exactly how awesome things are."

"I feel like I should know who you are," Melody commented, lifting the black cat into the air, so she was looking into its eyes.

"I'm Jaeger," the cat replied solemnly, "I'm your guardian of three years."

"Like a guardian angel?" Melody asked, running her fingers over his fur.

"Kind of," Jaeger replied simply. He then turned back to the other Rangers. "Kevin, I think you're on the right path with this. That Nighlok was definitely gunning for Jayden."

"What Nighlok isn't at this point?" Mike asked, throwing a hand in the air, using his other hand to grab a piece of bacon, chomping down loudly. "I mean, Xandred, Octaroo, Deker, the list goes on and on."

"But, he said specifically he wanted Jayden's memories," Kevin replied.

"It must be because of the sealing symbol," Emily said, snapping her fingers together.

"How do you know about the Sealing Symbol?" Jayden asked, giving her a hard look as if she had gone snooping through his things. "_No one _besides me and Mentor know about the Sealing Symbol."

"Jayden, we _all_ know, it's ok," Mia said with a small smile. She put her hand on top of his, and Jayden pulled his hand away. "We know that you're the keeper of the Sealing Symbol." Jayden opened his mouth to say something, but stopped and closed it instead.

"I just don't get how you guys think drawing…what do you call them, _symbols_, in the air actually make things more to your advantage," Melody said with a shake of her head, leaning against the island. "Anyway, I'm out of here."

"I'm afraid you can't leave," Mentor said, moving to stop her. "Part of the reason why you live here is because as a Samurai Ranger, you have promised to cut ties from your friends and family to keep them safe."

"Look," Melody said with an edge to her tone, "there's no such thing as monsters, there's no such thing as Power Rangers, and I _live with my family_." She then placed Jaeger on the counter. "Either you let me leave or I'll call the police for imprisonment."

She stomped her foot and as soon as she did so, the pitcher of orange juice on the counter glowed a bright purple before it exploded, sending the cold beverage to fly over the table, hitting everyone, and dropping to the floor.

"That was _awesome_," Mike cried with a small laugh.

He was the only one who seemed to have thought it was cool. Everyone else was groaning as they tried to find something dry to dry themselves off with. Jaeger was frozen where he was standing, shaking, trying to get the juice off of him. His hair was matted to his body, making him look smaller than he actually was.

"Believe us now?" Mia asked, brushing her wet hair from her face, "You wouldn't be able to do that if you didn't have your powers." She then let out a heavy sigh. "You must've tried to stop that attack from hitting Jayden and taken most of the brunt of the attack. It's the only thing that makes sense."

"_None _of this makes sense," Melody cried, giving her an odd look.

"The Nighlok who attacked us," Jayden said slowly, looking at each of the Rangers, and then at Mentor.  
"Did you kill it?"

"Uh, no," Emily slowly replied and Jayden let out a huff of annoyance. "We wouldn't have made it back here if Mentor hadn't gone out, looking for us. We were out cold."

"Yes," Mentor agreed with a nod, "when you didn't return home from your celebratory dinner, I was worried something had happened, but I didn't hear the Gap Sensor go off. I went out looking for you, and found you all unconscious on the street. I was able to teleport you back here. All I could do was wait until you woke up to learn what had happened to you."

"If that Nighlok has part of my memories, and essentially knows how to make the Sealing Symbol, we could be in big trouble," Jayden said, getting to his feet. "And all of my dad's hard work will be for nothing." He looked over at Mentor. "I know I've been training for years, waiting for the day for the Nighlok to return. If what you say is true, that I've been your leader for over a year now, then I'm willing to step up and do it again."

"Well, I'm not," Melody said with a shake of her head. "You seriously expect me to believe all this?"

Jayden gave her an annoyed look. _How could she have ever been part of a team? That makes no sense. She may be powerful, but what use is it to have skepticism around, constantly? _Ever since he got up, he all she'd been doing was demanding to know what was going on. Of course she wouldn't want to believe everything that was being told to her.

"They wouldn't be here if this wasn't true," he said to her. "Surely, they've given you enough proof that they're telling you the truth." Melody merely scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Mentor, if I'm not mistaken, there are only six Samurai Rangers, including Antonio. If she does not accept this, I don't see why we need her here."

"Jayden," Emily gasped. She had previously seen Jayden this way; when they first arrived in Panorama.

It must've been hard for him to suddenly be thrust into having a house full of people he didn't know and expect to train them and lead them into battle. But over the year, he'd opened up and accepted them as friends.

"Forget it, I'm out of here," Melody said with a wave of her hand. She then paused, looking around. "Where's the front door?" No one answered her and she let out a huff of annoyance. "Hello? I asked you how to get out of here!"

Jayden exhaled deeply, his patience wearing thin pretty quickly. "You seem to be under the impression I that we're allowing you to leave," he stated as calmly as possible.

"I demand that you take me to my family," Melody said, setting her jaw.

Jayden raised his eyebrows. _Then again…she clearly doesn't let anything stop her. A fine quality to a Ranger_. He looked over at Kevin as he jumped to his feet.

"Do you even remember the names of your family members?" Kevin asked, getting to his feet.

"Of course, it's—" Melody stopped, her eyebrows knitting together as she thought. A pained expression crossed her face. "It's…um, I have a dad. I think."

"You... really don't remember, do you?" Mike asked, suddenly seeing the importance of the situation. "You don't remember anything."

"Doesn't ring a bell," Melody said with a shake of her head. "Kevin, right?"

"Mike," Mike automatically corrected her, looking offended, as if actually _being_ Kevin was the worst thing in the world.

"See?" Kevin asked, walking over to her. "What good would it be to send you out there where you have _no idea_ where we are or what's going on?" The pained expression disappeared from Melody's face and she merely looked at him. "This isn't a joke and it's not a game. You better learn quickly and accept what we tell you."

"Why do I get the feeling there's an 'or else' waiting to be said?" Melody asked coolly, pushing Kevin away from her. "I don't have to listen to anything you guys say."

"Please, chica," Antonio said in a quiet voice, "we're just looking out for you. You'll be safe here."

"Antonio's right," Emily said, giving Melody a patient smile before turning back to her friends. "If the Nighlok went after Jayden's memories for the Sealing Symbol, then they must be going after Melody for some similar reason."

"Well, what about that Pillar of Darkness thing?" Mike asked, reaching for another piece of bacon, not caring that it was now covered in orange juice. "Mel must be the key to that. We've briefly seen what happens to her if she gets possessed by her powers. Maybe, with her memories, they'll know how to unlock a whole bunch of it at one time."

"So, let me see if I understand this," Melody said, putting a hand to her head. "We're all Samurai Power Rangers; a team to stop what you call the Nighloks from hurting people. And we're trying to stop Master Xandred from splitting the earth open. And by doing this, we own zords, and work on our symbol power that correspond with the element that we wield? And I have a talking guardian?" She then pointed her finger over towards Jayden. "And he's our leader?"

"Yes," Kevin replied, sounding relieved that she was starting to understand everything, "We all are subject to his command." Jayden frowned at the comment.

"I see." She titled her head, "So why was I attacked again? I mean, I'm really not all that fascinating."

"Like we said, it's because of your powers," Mia replied, stopping herself from letting out a heavy sigh before she explained it to her again. She was getting frustrated. And no one blamed her. Jayden was getting frustrated just listening to them talk. He was surprised to learn about everything, but he knew it was important to get rid of the Nighlok. That was why he had spent his whole life training.

"I must say, you have accepted this rather well, considering your memory loss," Mentor said, turning towards Jayden.

"Well… speaking from experience… or what experience I think I had, the only thing that matters is that we keep the people of this city safe from the Nighlok and from Master Xandred," Jayden said as a look of confidence crossed his face. "I can't explain it… it's like something's been lifted from my shoulders and everything is so much simpler."

He then got to his feet, facing his Ranger team. "I'll try my hardest to be the leader you guys are used to," Jayden said, speaking to all of them, "it's what my father would want. But for now, I need to see where you are with your training. Go get your training gear and meet me outside." He then turned towards Melody, "you going to join us?"

"You guys seem like nice people," Melody said, brushing her sticky hair out of her face. Her upper lip curled in disgust and she slid hr hand down her pants leg, trying to wipe the sticky orange juice off. She looked over at Jaeger. "I guess I have no choice but to go along with what you say." She looked back at Jayden. "Whenever that Nighlok comes back, I'll be ready to help you."

"For your sake, Melody, you'd better be," Jayden replied in a low voice.

"Uh, Jayden," Kevin said, glancing over at Mentor for a brief moment, "you had, um, previously placed Mel on probation, not allowing her to join any fights."

Jayden was silent, sucking in a deep breath of air. He held it for a moment before letting it all out in one breath. "She can train with us, but if we truly need her, we'll have Mentor send her after us." _Either way, they should all be ready. I'm not letting my dad down. I'll make him proud of me._

* * *

**A/N: **In case anyone is confused, this is a direct continuation from the last chapter. Hope you guys like it!

**~MysticMelody101~**


	19. Chapter 19: Memory Lane

**.:Chapter Nineteen – Memory Lane:.**

* * *

Training hadn't gone as well as anyone had hoped. Jayden was pretty much breathing down everyone's backs, making sure that their stances were perfect, and that they were doing exactly what he wanted them to do. They understood that he was training them hard, getting them prepared to face off against the Nighlok that was sure to come back, but they weren't used to his drill sergeant attitude.

And things weren't going well for Melody either. She used to be able to pick things up pretty quickly, but training was a struggle for her as she literally had to re-learn everything. The Rangers weren't in the best of moods as they finally went back inside the Shiba House.

_Clack. Clack. _

Jaeger frowned as he looked over the keyboard of Melody's computer, trying to find the letter he needed. When he did, he jabbed it with his finger, and then silently searched for the next one. He let out a huff of annoyance before grabbing Melody's computer and went in search for someone to help him.

"Emily," he called as soon as he spotted her on the back porch. He hesitated a moment, noticing that he had interrupted her playing the flute. "Sorry. You haven't played in a while."

"Didn't really have a reason to," Emily replied with a soft smile. "I feel so bad for Jayden and Mel." She shook her head. "I probably would've been the same way if Mike hadn't knocked me out of the way of that blast." She then slid her flute into her pocket and turned to face Jaeger. "What's the matter?"

"Do you know how to use this?" he asked, shoving Melody's computer into her arms.

"Of course I do," Emily replied, laughing a little bit as she set the computer down on her lap. "You don't?"

"No," Jaeger replied, shaking his head, moving to sit down beside her. "Should I?"

"Well, it'd help," Emily replied, putting her fingers over the keys. "You've been around for three years, I figured you'd know."

"We don't have internet at home," Jaeger replied with a shrug. "Anyway, there's a file that Mel has on here, but I can't find it. I don't type fast enough, so…"

"Is it in her documents or in her email?" Emily asked, looking over at the guardian. Jaeger just shrugged, giving her a confused look. "We'll just check both places then. What's the file called?"

"_History of the Power Rangers_ or something like that," Jaeger replied, scratching at his chin, "Tommy had sent it to all of the past Rangers around the time he started teaching."

"And you think it's going to jog her memory?" Emily asked, her finger flying over the keyboard. Jaeger silently nodded. "That's not a bad idea, actually." She gave a small sigh. "Sometimes I think it'd be great to lose my memory of some things."

"Running away from your problems won't help, though," Jaeger pointed out. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing towards the house. "Unfortunately, Mel's learned that the hard way. But, she _does_ learn eventually." He pointed at the computer. "Try this folder."

"Do you think Azure will count this against you?" Emily asked, leaning closer towards the computer screen, using her shirt to rub away the smudge Jaeger's finger left on the computer screen.

"No," Jaeger replied simply. Emily blinked. "She was protecting Jayden; that's all that matters."

"What matters is getting their memory back," Emily contradicted him with a shake of her head. "Anyway, I found it." She handed the computer back over to him. "You really should learn how to use the computer, though. It's a great way to stay in touch with people."

"You're thinking about Serena aren't you?" Jaeger asked, setting the computer aside. "I'm sure she's doing ok. In fact, I could find out for you."

"Oh, would you?" Emily asked, her eyes lighting up. Then, she seemed to slump in her seat. "Actually, don't." Jaeger's eyebrows twitched as he gave her a confused look. "I don't want you to go just in case you find out she's worse and then you have to tell me." She motioned towards the computer. "We email a lot and she says she's doing fine. But, I can't help but look for context clues to see if she's actually trying to tell me something."

"If you asked Jayden, I'm sure he'd let you go visit your family," Jaeger said, tilting his head to the side. "He understands how important they are to you."

"Maybe the old Jayden, not the new one," Emily pointed out.

Jaeger pursed his lips for a moment. "If you ask me, Jayden and Melody aren't different than who we're used to," he said after a moment of silence.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked.

"I mean…we all knew from the start that Jayden was used to training by himself, knowing that one day the Nighlok would come back," Jaeger slowly explained, choosing his words carefully, "we're just now seeing this side of him, something he's been keeping inside because he knew what was best for the team."

"And Mel?" Emily pressed.

"Like I said, running away from your problems doesn't help anything," Jaeger replied, "but Mel's always said that she was plagued with things that she's wanted to forget. The way I see it, both Jayden and Melody got what they wanted in some way." He then took the computer and gave her a smile. "Thanks for helping."

"No problem," Emily replied, pulling her flute back out of her pocket. "I'll be out here if you need some more help."

"Ok," Jaeger said, but he didn't move from his spot. "Maybe we should just hit the two of them very hard on the head to get their memories back." He gave a grin. "I saw it on a TV show."

"Something tells me that if you do that, then Mel will have a good reason to actually go through with her threat of killing someone," Emily replied, an amused look crossing her face. The smile then slipped slightly from her face. "They're so unaware. I hope they get through this; they have to. We won't stand a chance against the Nighlok if they don't."

"We'll get through this," Jaeger said, placing a hand on Emily's shoulder, "I promise." Emily gave a nod before lifting her flute to her lips, playing a slow song. _For everyone's sake, they have to get through this. _He carried the computer through the Shiba House and into the room Jayden and Melody shared. He quietly stepped inside, watching as Melody looked at each of the pictures that hung up on the walls. "You'll get your memory back, don't worry."

Melody slowly turned away from the wall and looked at him with a vacant expression on her face. She crossed the room to her bed and sat down, clasping her hands in her lap. "I understand," she said, but she didn't sound like she even understood the words that were coming out of her mouth. "Who are you, again?"

Jaeger took a deep breath, willing himself to stay calm. "I'm Jaeger, your guardian," he replied, clearing his throat. "I'm here to protect you until you've fulfilled your destiny."

"Protect me," Melody repeated, her head bobbing. "And I'm Melody. And I'm a Power Ranger. And we go after bad guys?"

"Yeah, something like that," Jaeger replied with a nod, "it's complicated." He moved to sit down beside her, putting her computer in her lap. "I think I have something that can help you." Jaeger jabbed at the space bar with his thumb and a picture of a man with spiked hair and a goatee appeared on screen.

"_I'm Tommy Oliver; and if you're not me, then something is seriously wrong. This video diary is a confidential record only to be viewed in case of an emergency. What you're about to see is a history of my life. My history as a Power Ranger. My story begins in Angel Grove…_"

"Is that me?" Melody asked, reaching out a hand to touch the computer screen. She then turned and looked at the pictures on the wall again. "They're the same people."

"They're your friends," Jaeger replied with a smile, "Jason, Zack, Trini, Kimberly, Billy, and Tommy." He then jabbed at the picture on the screen. "And that's me."

"_A new villain, Lord Zedd, was destroying Earth and with three Rangers leaving, a new power source had to be found. Trini, Zack, and Jason passed on their powers to Rocky, Adam, and Aisha and the three new Rangers stepped forward_. _And just in time because Rita and Zedd teamed up to form our most powerful enemy yet, bringing with them a new terror; Rito. Our new team fought bravely, but it wasn't enough, Rito destroyed our zords._"

Melody suddenly stopped the video, pushing the computer into Jaeger's lap. She got up and started to circle the room. She started to pace more urgently, gritting her teeth, her breath coming out in faster bursts of air. "I want to remember!" she cried, gripping at her head, tears welling in her eyes. "I want to remember so badly, but I just can't." She buried her face in her hands for a moment before looking up at him, asking in a quiet voice, "Why can't I remember?"

"You will, it'll just take some time, that's all," Jaeger replied with a frown, feeling his heart pang in his chest at how desperate and scared and alone she looked. "I promise, you'll remember." He set the computer aside. _I thought for sure that would've worked_. "I'll think of something else, ok?"

Melody silently nodded, the vacant look back on her face. "Where's the bathroom?" she suddenly asked after a moment of silence. Jaeger stood up and walked to the door, pointing towards the bathroom. "Thanks."

She slowly made her way down the hall, swinging her head back and forth, as if trying to force herself to remember every small thing in the house. She didn't notice Jayden step out of the bathroom until she had walked right into him, causing the both of them to stumble back, letting out cries of pain and shock.

"Sorry," Melody cried, quickly taking a few steps back, "Sorry, I—"

The sound of a soft 'thump' caught both of their attention and they instantly looked down to the ground, spotting a white towel around Jayden's ankles. Melody turned away, her face turning as red as a tomato and Jayden grabbed the fallen towel, hastily wrapping it around his hips.

"Sorry!" Melody said, her voice muffled as she moved her hands in front of her face. "Sorry. I'm sorry, I—sorry."

"S'ok," Jayden muttered in a tight voice. Face turning red, he cleared his throat as he hastily side stepped her. She flattened herself against the wall and blindingly groped her way to the bathroom. "No worries."

Melody let out a heavy sigh and dropped her arms as soon as she kicked the bathroom door shut. She flipped on the lights and stared at herself in the mirror. Dark hair, piercing blue eyes, freckles across her nose. It all felt familiar, but at the same time not. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to the glass. _Something happened to make me forget. But, what was it?_ _What can't I remember?_

"_Meelodyyy..."_ A shiver went up Melody's spine as the whisper reached her ears. She looked around, blinking. She was still in the bathroom. Where was the voice coming from? "_Meeelodyyy. Do not be afraid. This is what was supposed to happen._"

Melody let out a breath of air, pressing her forehead to the mirror again. She jumped back as what felt like a bolt of electricity had raced through her. "_Melody_..._I'm not going to hurt you_..._ Face your crave to fight._" There was Deker, silently staring her down; his expression was cold, his eyes resembling burning coals.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Melody choked out.

Deker stared at her for a moment, his lips slowly sliding to form a sinister smirk. "_It's simple. You're closest to the Red Ranger. What better way to get my ultimate duel, then by weakening everyone around him that he cares about deeply?_" Deker then let out a snort. "_It was either you or the fisherman first. You're just…easier to get to_."

"I'm not going to let you hurt Jayden," Melody said, feeling her hands clench into fists at her sides.

"_You're worried about him. That's touching, it really is,_" Deker said, his smirk disappearing slightly. "_So, I have chosen the correct individual to get to first. Interesting._"

"What do you want from me?"

Deker slowly blinked. "_Uramasa and I crave the ultimate duel. We thought we had achieved it once before, however, I'm still cursed and stuck inside this body._" He tilted his head to the side. "_The Red Ranger has told me once before that he will not fight just to fight; a stupidly admirable quality one would say._" Deker than gave a devilish grin. "_Tell me; if you were up against your worst fear; you'd fight to survive, would you _not?"

Melody cried out as he suddenly grabbed a huge fistful of her hair. He gave it a hard yank, pulling her towards the mirror. The air in her lungs rushed out as her stomach slammed into the side of the sink as she tried to stop herself from being pulled forward.

"..Noo.."

There was rapid knocking on the door. Melody blinked and the picture of Deker was gone. Rubbing at the sore spot on her head, she twisted the door knob and pulled it open.

"You ok, dude?" Mike asked, looking worried. Jaeger stood behind him, frowning. "I thought I heard you scream."

"I…didn't recognize myself in the mirror," Melody slowly replied and Jaeger's frown deepened. "I just…scared myself." _Why does he want Jayden so badly? What do I have to do with anything? And how am I 'easy to get to?'_

"No worries, dude," Mike said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Because I have a fool proof plan on how to get your memories back." He then looked thoughtful for a moment. "I've seen it all the time in crime shows." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a sock, holding it in front of her face. "Come on, take a whiff of this."

"Uh, I don't think that's—" Jaeger was cut off when Melody leaned forward, pressing her nose to the sock, breathing in deeply.

"_Oh, my god_!" Melody cried, waving a hand in front of her face, tears instantly coming to her eyes. "How often have you _washed_ this thing?"

"Few times," Mike replied with a grin, spinning it in the air. "So, did it work?"

"In regards to burning off my nose hair?" Melody asked, pinching her nose shut, "then _yes_."

"At least you didn't lose your sarcasm," Mike said with a heavy sigh as he stuffed the sock back into his pocket. "I thought for sure that would work."

"Hey guys, Jayden needs you in the living room," Kevin said as he walked into the hallway, "it's really important." He stopped, blinking a few times. He coughed a few times, waving his hand in the air. "What the hell is that smell?"

"Mike's sock," Jaeger replied with a roll of his eyes, "he thought if Mel smelled them it'd jog her memory. Like smelling salts, I guess."

Kevin's eyes widened as he looked over at the Green Ranger. He looked like he was going to say something, but then closed his mouth, letting out a breath of air. "Smelling salts," the Blue Ranger slowly said through clenched teeth, "are only supposed to wake you up if you've _fallen unconcious_."

"I know what smelling salts are," Mike snapped back, patting his pocket. "She's on laundry duty so I thought she'd recognize what my clothes smell like."

"Let's just go," Kevin said with a shake of his head, turning around, leading the way back to the living room. "I hope training wasn't too rough for you, Mel."

"A little," Melody replied, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets. "I don't know how you guys can do it. I've got mad respect for ya. You're really good." Kevin stopped walking and turned around to face her, an unrecognizable look on his face.

"Thanks," he replied after a moment of silence, giving a small smile.

"Dude, you just complimented Kevin," Mike whispered in her ear.

"Do I not do that?" Melody whispered back.

"Not out loud," Mike replied, shaking his head. He then dropped his arm from around her shoulders and went to sit next to Emily on the couch. Melody looked around, quickly noticing the only other empty seat was beside Jayden. She chose to stand. "So, what's up, J-Man?"

Jayden cleared his throat, clasping his hands in his lap. "I can't deny that you've adjusted to everything in this life," Jayden said, looking at each Ranger, his eyes lingering on Melody for a moment longer. "I'm impressed with what you've been able to accomplish in the…year you've been here?"

"We have you to thank for that, Jayden," Mia replied with a small smile. "We wouldn't have been this successful in the fight against the Nighlok if you haven't been here to teach us every step of the way." She then let out a sigh. "We know you're not too happy having to lead us into battle, but we're behind you every step of the way."

"It's our God given duty to protect you and the Sealing Symbol," Kevin added, "We'll defeat that Nighlok and get your memories back. That is, if he hasn't already told Master Xandred how to create the Sealing Symbol."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Jayden muttered, looking over the Rangers' heads at Mentor, who silently stared back at him.

"Why's that, amigo?" Antonio asked from where he was standing. "Master Xandred _knows_ that your father was the one who sealed him away and he knows that you know the Sealing Symbol. Gryphonator must've told him by now."

"It's just a hunch that I have," Jayden commented, running his fingers through his hair. "Knowing the Sealing Symbol, Xandred would feel invincible; he'd attack the first minute he got."

"Makes sense to me," Emily replied with a shrug. She jumped when the Gap Sensor suddenly went off. "Nighlok! Gryphonator must be back."

"Let's roll," Mike said, jumping to his feet. "It's time to go to work."

"I want to go," Melody said as everyone hurried towards the front door. They all stopped and exchanged glances."I just…I don't know, I have a bad feeling about this." She trained her eyes on Jayden. "You're in danger…but I don't know why. The name Deker is familiar."

"Jayden's already defeated Deker, remember?" Jaeger asked, putting his hands on Melody's shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. "He wanted his ultimate duel with him and Jayden was able to fight him off."

"Ultimate duel," Melody repeated under her breath. "That's what he said."

"Mentor, where's the Nighlok?" Jayden asked, ignoring the Purple Ranger as Mentor Ji pressed his hand to the oak table in the middle of the room. A map unfurled and Jayden glanced down at the large, red pulsating dot. "In the center of town. Rangers, let's go."

"Stay here," Jaeger said to Melody, "We'll be back soon."

"You don't understand," Melody cried, "Deker said something about facing your worst fear—"

"My worst fear is just sitting by and allowing the Earth to be flooded by the Sanzu River," Jayden said impatiently, moving towards the door. "If we don't get down there now—"

"Would you listen to me?" Melody shouted, grabbing his hand, stopping him from moving.

A jolt shot through their hands as soon as they made contact just as their heads throbbed with pain. The two Rangers let out groans of pain, a flash of magenta light appearing between them, seconds before an invisible force knocked them off their feet in two different directions, where they crashed to the floor.

"Dude, you ok?" Mike asked, grabbing Jayden's arm, helping him sit up.

"I think so," Jayden replied, rubbing the back of his head. "What happened? I feel like I got hit by a Mack truck."

"Son of a bitch," Melody loudly swore, rapidly blinking her eyes as Antonio and Jaeger helped her stand. She swayed on her feet for a moment. "Was Kevin rambling on and on and about the importance of the Samurai Life, again? I've got one of those headaches I can only get while listening to him."

"Ha ha," Kevin replied with a roll of his eyes. He stopped mid eye-roll, and frowned a little bit. "I haven't given one of those speeches for a while now."

"Please, how can anybody forget even _one_ of them?" Melody asked, giving him an odd look. She then looked around. "Gap Sensor's going off, why aren't you guys going to kick butt?"

"You said you wanted to come too," Mia replied.

"I can't, I'm on probation," Melody replied impatiently, "Get going!" She then noticed that everyone was giving her an odd look. "_What_?"

"You remember that you're on probation?" Mike asked.

"Uh, yah!" Melody replied, waving her hand in the air. "Because I ran off during a fight to make sure my friends were ok, blah, blah, blah."

"Jayden," Kevin said, turning towards his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eye. "What happened when we went to the Tengen Gate to retrieve the Black Box?"

"I was poisoned by Octaroo and we were attacked by Arachnitor and Moogers," Jayden replied, giving Kevin a weird look.

"And what was it that I broke when you and I were pretending to be Samurai Rangers when we were kids?" Antonio asked.

"Mentor's walking stick and his prized Bonzai tree," Jayden replied, an amused look crossing his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "By the way, Mentor's still mad about that."

"Only now, I know who actually broke it," Mentor replied through clenched teeth.

Antonio gave Mentor a sheepish grin. "You know, that's a funny story," he said, clasping his hands together. "One I'm sure even _you'd_ laugh at once I explain what happened."

"Mhm," Mentor replied with a nod. "Jayden, Mel, how'd you get your memories back?"

"I think I know," Jaeger spoke up looking both mystified and amused, "but we have a Nighlok to fight, and I don't think we should be standing around, talking about it."

"He's right, let's go," Jayden replied, his face set into a look of determination. "That Nighlok's going to want to lose his _own_ memory after what he's done."

..

.

"I don't understand," Jayden said, fully morphed, as he walked through the streets of Panorama City. "The Gap Sensor said the Nighlok was here."

"He's still here, don't you worry about that," Jaeger replied as he walked beside the Red Ranger, slowly placing one paw in front of the other as he stalked the streets at the Rangers' sides. His keen eyes were alert, scanning every alleyway, a menacing growl rumbling in his throat.

"I think we're about to run into him, there's a change in the wind," Mia announced after a moment of silence. "Caused by the Nighlok, no doubt."

"_No! Stay back_! _Please, leave us alone_!"

Sparing no time, the Rangers took off, running towards the panicked cry. They quickly reached the alleyway, and spotted a teenaged boy and girl cowering behind trash cans as the Nighlok stood over them.

"Sky Fan," Mia whispered under her breath, her pink and white weapon appearing in her hand. "Air Wave!"

"Blazing Strike," Jayden said flames leaped up the blade to his Spin Sword. The two Rangers combined their attacks, striking Gryhponator in the back. The Nighlok let out a loud, high pitched cry as the attack hit him in the back, knocking him off his feet, crashing into the brick wall beside him. "Hurry; while you have the chance."

"Thank you, Rangers, thank you," the boy said as he grabbed the teenaged girl's hand, running out of the alleyway.

"Nighlok," Jaeger called, turning into his human form, pulling his sword from its sheath, "You're not welcome here. You're going to pay for messing with my friends' memories."

* * *

_Smack. Smack. Smack._

Melody used the top of her foot to catch her purple soccer ball as it rebounded off of the side of the Shiba House. She turned on one foot, balancing the ball on the top of her foot, when she heard footsteps making their way over to her.

"You got rid of the Nighlok in record time," she commented to her friends as she popped the ball into the air, catching it in her hands. She then started spinning the ball on her finger. "I could feel the explosion all the way from over here."

"Jaeger had some pent up frustrations that he took out against the Nighlok," Mike said, clapping Melody's guardian on the back. "Pretty sweet moves if I do say so myself." Jaeger's cheeks turned pink as he shrugged, scratching the back of his head.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, not everybody's _always_ happy," Melody commented with a smile. She dropped the ball to the ground, putting her hand on Jaeger's head, pressing her forehead against his. "Thanks for having my back, whether I recognized you or not."

"Always," Jaeger replied, giving a smile, "that's my job."

"No, seriously, those were some amazing moves you pulled," Mike said to him "How'd you learn all that?"

"Practice, practice and more practice," Jaeger replied, waving off the Green Ranger's compliments. "It's really nothing."

"Take a lesson from that, Mike," Kevin said, putting his arm around Mike's shoulders. Mike made a face, pushing Kevin's arm off of him, "Practice makes perfect."

"Bring it on, Blue Boy," Mike said, a challenging look on his face as he made his way over to the rack of shinais. He grabbed two of them, tossing one of them over to Kevin. "Show me whatcha got!"

"Here we go again," Emily said with a heavy sigh, moving to sit on the back porch to watch the two Rangers fight.

"Tell me about it." Mia moved to sit beside her. "Mike, don't be overconfident."

"It's not being over confident when you know you'll win," Mike replied, spinning his shinai at his side before facing Kevin. Kevin arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything in reply.

"Fighters face each other," Melody said in announcer voice as she walked over to the two boys. "Bow." Kevin and Mike bowed at each other. "Fighters face me; bow. And fighting stance." Kevin and Mike instantly dropped into their respective fighting stances, staring each other down. "And…go!" Melody quickly backed out of the way to watch the two spar.

"Hey, whoever wins gets the biggest piece of fish for dinner tonight," Antonio called. He then clapped Jayden on the shoulder. "Great to have you back, man."

"The funny thing is, I didn't even feel like I was really gone," Jayden said with a shrug, watching Kevin and Mike as they darted back and forth across the wooden ground, sparring. "It's hard to explain. I mean, I did feel like I was starting over with everything, but at the same time, I trusted you guys. Somewhere deep down, I knew who you guys were, even if I didn't remember your names."

"Besides me," Antonio said, puffing out his chest in pride. "There's no way you can forget your best friend. It's like you said, I'm worth my weight in gold."

"And don't you forget it," Jayden joked, elbowing Antonio in the side. "Sometimes I wish I could forget about being a Ranger though; I wouldn't have to worry about all the responsibilities."

"Hey, someone has to do it," Antonio replied, "so, do you think the Nighlok really had your memories?" Jayden's eyebrows knitted together slightly. "I mean, both you and Melody got your memories back before we defeated him."

"Something tells me, we had our memories the whole time," Jayden commented. "I mean, think about it, his attack was called 'Mind Scramble.' Maybe we always had our memories, but it was hard to recall them?"

"Why would a Nighlok take the time to do that?" Antonio asked.

"To distract us," Jayden replied, his mouth forming a grim line. "There had to have been more to that plan than we're aware of." He raised his thumb to his mouth, starting to chew on the nail. "But, what is it?"

"Who knows?" Antonio said with a sigh, "but on the bright side, it's another Nighlok to cross off in the archives." Jayden made a noise of agreement. "You ok?"

"Just thinking," Jayden replied. "I'm going to talk to Mentor about rejoining the team."

"It's about time," Antonio cried. "We really need her."

"I know," Jayden replied. He then side stepped Antonio and made his way over to the Purple Ranger, wincing when Mike hit the ground with a loud thud before he quickly rolled out of the way of Kevin's shinai, jumping to his feet. "Mike, _always_ keep your guard up."

"Yeah, yeah," Mike said with a roll of his eyes, "where have I heard that one before?"

"You think you'd apply that lesson by now," Kevin replied with a shake of his head.

Jayden slid his hands into his jeans pockets as he walked over to Melody. "Hey. I just wanted you to know that I'm going to talk to Mentor about letting you join the team again."

"Oh, cool," Melody replied. She spotted Jayden's confused look and turned to face him. "It's not that I'm not thrilled about it, trust me, I am."

"But?"

"Besides the fact that I was freaking out about not remembering anything, it was kind of refreshing knowing that, for that short moment, I didn't have the responsibilities of being a Ranger," Melody replied with a shrug. "Weight off the shoulders." She then gave a smile. "But at the same time, being a ranger, it's not such a bad life. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I get what you mean," Jayden agreed. A long silence then fell over the two of them.

"Did you want something else?" Melody asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I...um...about the bathroom thing—"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Melody said, blushing, "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She started rocking back and forth on her heels, pressing her lips together. "Jaeger was trying to get me to remember my old teammates and I was upset that I couldn't remember."

"No, it's…it's cool," Jayden replied, waving her hand in the air, "I understand." He gave a short laugh. "Actually, I kinda don't. I don't know what it'd be like to really not remember anything."

"Do you miss your old life?" Melody suddenly asked. Jayden blinked; the question surprised him.

"Why do you ask?" Jayden replied.

"Well, your old life was a much more passive existence," Melody replied. "I mean, Mike, Mia, Emily, and Kevin have seen you act that way before, but that was different for me. Do you miss having the house to yourself and working alone?"

Jayden barely thought about it. "No," Jayden replied with a hint of a smile, "I don't miss it at all. Most times."

"Thanks," Melody sarcastically replied. Her lips then curled up into a smirk for a moment before she adopted a passive look on her face. "Oh, one more thing about the…_incident_." Jayden raised his eyebrows, looking uncomfortable for a brief moment. "Yeah, after that, I'm not going to call you 'Big Red' anymore."

"I don't know if I should be happy about that or take it negatively," Jayden commented, his lips twitching.

"You're going to have to figure that one out by yourself," Melody replied, jabbing him in the chest. "And thanks for deciding to talk to Mentor."

"You're welcome."

"Oh, and by the way," Melody said, the amused look returning to her face. "_You're_ welcome for me saving your butt against that Nighlok."

"I could've handled him all on my own," Jayden replied. "Um...yeah, thanks."

"Keep thinking that if it makes you feel better," Melody said in a sing-song voice. "You're welcome, Jayden."

* * *

**A/N: **I meant to have this up yesterday, but a whole bunch of things came up. Anyway, while the way Jayden and Melody got their powers back was kind of anti-climactic, it's also a huge plot device as well (and Jaeger will explain his theory in the next chapter). And this chapter actually really starts the Jayden/Melody friendship and romantic pairing. I'll also be adding in more Mia/Kevin and Mike/Emily moments starting in the next chapter as well.

**PS: The idea for using Tommy's "history of the power rangers" came from Warlord-Xana**

I hope you guys enjoyed this.

**~MysticMelody101~**


	20. Chapter 20: Nightmare

**.:Chapter Twenty – Nightmare:.**

* * *

After dinner, Mia wanted to talk to Jaeger. She was confused as to how Jayden and Melody got their memories back, not that she wasn't happy about it, she was curious. She seemed to be the only one who remembered, through the celebrations, that Jaeger had mentioned that he had an idea as to how they had regained their memories.

She saw a quick flash of light between the two Rangers, but she didn't know what it was, or if she actually had seen anything. Anything that had to do with Elementals, she barely ever noticed unless it was pointed out to her, but she was getting better at it. But, there was more that she wanted to know. Her short time in the Elemental World spiked her curiosity on Melody and Jaeger's powers and what life as an elemental was truly like.

She, and the other Rangers wielded elements through their Samuraizers. She wanted to know how that was any different. Queen Aurelian seemed to have known everything about the Power Rangers, but she had never before heard of the Elemental World. But, if Aurealian knew about Serrator and Master Xandred, then she knew that they truly were what stood in the way of not only the Earth's destruction but the destruction of the Elemental World.

All in all, she wanted to see if Jaeger could reassure her about everything.

"You ok?" Emily asked, Mia, turning away from watching her foldingzord fly around the room in between climbing up the dressers and bookshelves."You're really quiet tonight."

Mia set down her book, glancing at the cover before turning to smile at Emily. "Reading about princes and princesses is kind of childish," she commented with a small smile, "after everything we've been through."

"All the more reason to continue reading it," Emily replied with a shrug, hugging her pillow to her chest. "If that's what keeps reminding you of what you've left behind then…" she shrugged again.

"It seems so…juvenile compared to how you left things," Mia replied, setting her book aside, swinging her legs around the side of her bed, facing Emily. "I mean, you left your sick sister, and Kevin left his dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer."

"You left family too," Emily replied, her smile fading a little bit at the mention of her sister. Mia instantly felt like a jerk for it. She knew that Mia was thinking more and more about Serena lately. "Whether yours is sick or not; it must've been hard. We _all _had to leave something behind."

"I could never imagine not remembering them," Mia said, then getting to her feet. "I'll be back in a little bit. I'm going to talk to Jaeger for a moment."

"I think he's in the backyard," Emily said as she motioned for her foldingzord to fly back over to her.

"Thanks," Mia said with a smile, patting Emily's knee before she left the room.

As she headed down the hall, she stopped by Kevin and Mike's room. No surprise, Kevin was reading a book about the Samurai life. Kevin looked up, as if sensing her presence and gave her a smile. Mia smiled in return before stopping by Jayden and Melody's room. Through the cracked door, Mia saw Jayden sitting on his bed, slowly flipping through the scrapbook Melody had given him for Christmas. He seemed to be devouring every picture, making sure he wouldn't forget anything ever again.

Hearing loud voices, he made his way into the living room (passing Ji's office where she heard him muttering and shuffling papers) where Mike and Antonio were playing against each other in some shoot-em-up video game. Melody was sitting on the couch, watching, cheering on whoever was winning at the time, looking amused.

"Who's winning?" Mia asked, leaning against the couch behind the Purple Ranger. Melody peered at her over her shoulder.

"Don't really care to be honest with you," Melody said with a grin. "I just suggested they play it because Antonio wouldn't stop bringing up the fact that I think he's cute."

"Don't think I've forgotten that," Antonio said, briefly glancing over his shoulder at her. He let out a groan, just as Mike cheered, when his character on the screen blew up.

"Jayden, too, then?" Mia asked her, trying to mask her smile with a curious look.

"What's up? You seem distracted all day," Melody responded to Mia's question with a question.

"I just wanted to talk to Jaeger," Mia replied.

"He's outside," Melody replied, jerking her thumb towards the back door. "He always practices sometime after dinner."

"Thanks." Mia stepped outside, stopping in her tracks as she watched Jaeger practice.

He was practicing both old, mastered moves, as well as newer moves that he was still perfecting. His face was set into a look of concentration, breaking a few times when he messed up on some of the new moves that he was learning alongside the Rangers. His shinai whistled through the air with each precise movement, accented with his kiai.

He stopped, chest heaving as he closed his eyes, put his arms at his sides, and gave a deep bow. "I know you're there, Mia," he said without turning around. "You can stop sneaking up on me."

"Sorry," Mia apologized as Jaeger turned around to face her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"That's ok," Jaeger replied, motioning for her to toss him his discarded t-shirt. She blinked when she actually noticed that he was shirtless, but picked up his shirt, tossing it to him. He caught it in one hand, wiping the sweat off his face with it. "What's up? You never watch me practice."

"You said earlier that you had an idea on how Jayden and Melody got their memories back," Mia said as she sat down, her legs dangling off the back porch. She kicked her legs back and forth as Jaeger put up his shinai before sitting down next to her, sitting cross legged as he face her side.

"Well, I don't think they really lost them to begin with," Jaeger replied, resting his chin on his fisted hands, "more like, they just couldn't _reach_ them if that makes sense." Mia gave a brief shake of her head. "Kind of like your humans' phrase 'it's on the tip of my tongue'. It's not the first time an enemy has targeted a Rangers' memories."

"You've seen this before?" Mia asked, eyes widening. She didn't understand why she was actually that surprised about it. With all the things he's gone through over the years, he would of course bring it up nonchalantly.

"Kind of," Jaeger replied, wrinkling his nose, "Tommy had his mind wiped of all happy memories as a Ranger and was told to fight the other Rangers to the death." His nose twitched. "They were able to help him by de-morphing to show him that they didn't want to fight him, and that they were truly his friends." A serious look then crossed his face. "Anyway, Mia, yes, I do have an idea on how they got their memories back, but I've never actually seen it happen first hand to be 100% confident that this is the answer."

"Well?" Mia prompted. "It has something to do with them when their hands touched, right?"

"Yes. You see, Elementals are strong on their own, but when paired with the right person, their powers increase tenfold," Jaeger explained, "kind of like finding the perfect match for them; whether it be romantically or platonically. In short, I think Jayden is Mel's 'Light'."

"Her, what?" Mia repeated.

"And you humans say you're smart," Jaeger said, his eyes twinkling in amusement. Mia arched an eyebrow and he gave an apologetic shrug. "Fire and Water, Fire and Ice, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Peanut Butter and Chocolate, those combinations aren't really coincidences, but they work well with each other." He fought the urge to roll his eyes as Mia laughed a little bit. "Please, completely disregard the fact that water puts out fire, it's a good fighting combination when done right."

"Oh," she said before pressing her lips together. She was silent for a moment. "If Melody's element, and symbol power is Darkness, how does Fire help?"

"Because it emits light," Jaeger replied, simply. He looked around the backyard, briefly watching the sun set before turning back towards her. "At this point in time, I've noticed that Melody's been getting a lot of headaches; ones that coincide with her using too much of her power at one time, meaning she's close to being possessed again. It's been confusing to me for a while, but I think that when Jayden's around, it doesn't affect her, but at the same time, it could be something else."

"Like what?" Mia asked.

Jaeger opened and closed his mouth. He, besides, Melody, was the only one to know that Melody was actually talking with the Elemental Queen, whether she realized that's who it was or not. Aurelian could've been the one that was stopping Melody's powers from affecting her, but at the same time, Jaeger wasn't so sure. He had never seen, first hand, the affects of someone finding their 'element partner'.

"Like…I'm not sure," Jaeger repeated. "Anyway, the same goes for you guys." He stuck out his foot and poked Mia's thigh with his big toe. "You and Kevin make a great team as do Mike and Emily. At first I thought you were paired up because of your skill level, but I don't think it was a mistake, either. In the long run, I think the pairings will work out to our advantage."

His lips twitched into an amused smile. "Amongst other things, anyway. We just have to be sure that we keep our mission at the back of our minds; we can't forget that we have to protect Jayden. I'm starting to think we're drifting away from that thought process. But, this has really brought it home for me. We're not only keeping Jayden safe, but Melody, too."

"If Melody knows about her powers and how dangerous they could be, then why did she take the brunt of the Nighlok's attack?" Mia asked with a shake of her head. "Surely, she knew that she'd be giving Xandred what he wanted."

"Mel's always put other people before herself," Jaeger replied, running his fingers through his hair, making a face when he found a knot. "That's just the way she is. She'll protect anyone and everyone she cares about even if it means putting herself in danger." He then gave an odd sigh and said more to himself, "Sometimes, I wonder if she does it to kind of punish herself."

"How so?" Mia asked.

"Mel just blames herself for a lot of stuff," Jaeger replied with a shrug. "But, it's what the Darkness does; it gets in your head. It warps your thoughts." He sighed. "This is what I have to teach her; she knows how to use the powers, but there's a difference between using it, and becoming it." He gave a smile. "We just have to be supportive of each other. There's nothing we can't lose as long as we work together as a team."

Jaeger peered at her, and then let out a loud laugh, causing her to jump. "No, I don't think Mel is interested in Jayden," he said, shaking his head. "According to her, thinking someone is cute and wanting to date them are two different things." He gave her a toothy grin, revealing his sharp teeth. "Not only that, but being around her long enough, I've learned the signs of when she likes someone. I haven't seen them."

"Can't blame a girl for thinking it," Mia commented with a shrug.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to read your mind…without permission," Jaeger said, giving her an apologetic smile, "It was just…loud."

"So, you can just stop yourself from reading people's minds?"Mia asked.

"Mel hasn't learned to control it, but I choose to read people's minds," Jaeger replied. His cheek twitched. "Most of the time. You had kind of a…excited look on your face and I just did it. But, if I let my mind wander, like if I zone out, it just happens."

"Thanks for talking to me," Mia said as she got to her feet, brushing the seat of her pants.

"No problem," Jaeger replied with a warm smile, "You're nice to talk to. It's a nice change of pace."

* * *

A loud scream pierced the air, instantly waking everybody in the Shiba House. Mike, Kevin, Melody, and Jayden tiredly stumbled into the hall, crashing into each other as they tried to wake up to figure out what was going on. They blinked, groaning when Mentor flipped on the hallway light.

"What's up?" Mike asked, rubbing his eyes.

The door to Mia and Emily's room swung open so fast, it caused everyone to jump a second time. Her eyes were wide with fear. "It's Mia," she breathed, before a second scream filled the air. She flipped on the overhead light in the room, making room for everyone to crowd around Mia's bed. Her eyes were squeezed shut. She clutched her blanket tightly; knuckles white, hands shaking, breath short.

"I tried to wake her, but it won't work," Emily said, chewing on her thumb nail.

"Mia," Mike loudly called, walking over to her bedside."_Mia._" He started to shake her. "MIA!"

"Mike, stop," Jayden said, grabbing Mike's shoulder. "That's obviously not helping."

"Mia," Kevin called, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder. As soon as he did, she stopped screaming and tossing and turning. She looked almost peaceful. "That was weird." He shook her shoulder, but she wouldn't wake up. He shook her harder and harder. "Mia."

"Why isn't she waking up?" Emily asked, her voice high pitched with fear.

Melody frowned, peering over at Mia. She waved a glowing hand over Mia's face. She made a noise in the back of her throat and drew back. "Something is not right."

Kevin saw her brow furrow deeply. She seemed almost to be cringing way from Mia. "The Darkness?" he asked, feeling worry build up in his chest.

Melody shook her head. "No. Something…something else. Something wrong." She closed her eyes, putting a hand to her head. She then opened her eyes, looking at a spot over her shoulder.

"We'd know if something was sneaking up behind you," Antonio said to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Not if it's something you couldn't see," Melody replied, in a grim tone, getting to her feet. She looked over at Jaeger. "You sense it, too?"

"Yes," Jaeger nodded, "It's not the Darkness. But I can feel…something."

Jayden had seen what Melody was like when the Darkness reached her. It was for a brief moment, but it was something he wasn't going to forget. But Melody had told him everything about her battles with the Darkness. He could understand how even now she could feel it in her mind, reaching for hers its voice calling to her. Taunting her.

But, this was something different, or so she had said. Her eyes were not filled with the barely suppressed rage and fear that seemed to haunt her eyes a she was torn in half; fear of what she would do to her friends and family, and the rage she felt inside, itching to release it on anything. Now, she seemed puzzled.

Suddenly, Emily grabbed Kevin's arm, yanked him closer, and felt his forehead with her palm. She then released him and placed her palm on Mia's forehead. "She's cold," she said with a frown. "What would make her so cold?"

"Fear," Jayden said after a moment of silence. He let out a sigh, rubbing at his eyes before sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "Antonio and I were talking the other day; I think there was more to the Nighlok's plan than we're aware of. I think he was distracting us…because he took our fears."

"But, Mia didn't have her mind scrambled," Mike said, wiggling his fingers in the air.

"Because he didn't need her fears," Mentor spoke up, looking grim. "We all know that Xandred is after Jayden for the Sealing Symbol, and Mel because of her powers. What better way to stop them then turning their worst fears against them?"

Melody's eyes widened in horror at the thought of it. Jayden shifted from foot to foot. He suddenly looked very young. Well, he was. He looked like a kid, a teenager, a boy who ought to be yelling happily as he ran into the surf with his board.

"But, why take their fears and not the Sealing Symbol?" Kevin asked. "That doesn't make sense. We _all_ know that keeping Jayden safe to use the Sealing Symbol on Xandred is the most important thing." He shook his head. "It's like…he's baiting us out or something. And I don't think Xandred is that kind of person."

"So, what do we do?" Emily asked, chewing on her thumb nail.

"Do you think waking her up will help?" Melody asked.

"How? A kiss from her Prince Charming?" Kevin sarcastically shot back. "I figured you'd have all the answers on this one."

"You said it, not me," Melody replied coolly, "and I only know things that relates to stuff I've seen before."

"Enough," Jayden said in a firm tone. "This has to be the work of a Nighlok. One that Xandred hadn't sent before; like Gryphonator."

"It's not like your average run of the mill Nighlok," Emily commented with a shake of her head. Mike let out a loud snort.

"When have _any_ of the Nighlok we've faced been normal?" Mike asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Especially since Arachnitor popped up again, all freaky and stronger than before."

"I think…if this really is the work of a Nighlok…we're going to have to go into her dream and kick it out," Jaeger spoke up, choosing his words carefully. "Kind of like with Rhinosnaurus, but clearly, it doesn't want to eat Mia's dream."

"That could be possible," Mentor said, rubbing his chin, "but that could be risky all on its own. You're not jumping into a dream, you're jumping into a nightmare. It could be dangerous."

"Well…the darkness feeds off of fear, which is what your nightmares cause," Melody said as she raked her fingers through her hair. "I know a way to look at what she's dreaming about…but it'll take up a lot of energy."

"What do you think, Jayden?" Antonio asked, gently elbowing his friend in the side. "What do you think we should do?"

"We could use a portal and check things out," Jayden said, leaning against the wall, tilting his head back slightly to stare at the ceiling. "But, I think we should have Mel or Jaeger look to see what the nightmare is first, just so we won't be too surprised about things that happen."

"Either way, you want to be careful," Jaeger said in a warning tone. It was that tone that instantly got everyone's attention. "Everything exists in dreams; as dreams are formed from subconscious thoughts of said dreamer. Same with nightmares."

"But can't you control dreams?" Emily asked, her nose wrinkling. "I think it's called lucid dreaming or something like that."

"You can, but not everybody can do it," Jaeger agreed with a nod, "but this is different. We'd effectively be messing with Mia's nightmares. We'd be changing things. She probably wouldn't notice it, but she could use her own thoughts and fears to stop us." He sucked in a deep breath before letting out a heavy sigh. "Problem is, I'm worried that she won't be able to distinguish the nightmare and reality. This could be even more dangerous than we're used to."

"If there _is_ a Nighlok involved, I'll do anything I can to help Mia," Kevin spoke up, "but how did the Nighlok get there to begin with?" Mia made a whimpering sound in her sleep. "Hang in there, Mia. You'll be fine."

"He had help," Jaeger said, his eyebrow twitching, "it's the only way. Not unless Nighloks can actually see people's dreams."

"If he was created to do that, and to taint it—" Mike trailed off, shaking his head. He cursed under his breath. "Let's just hope it doesn't know how to hope from dream to dream." His hand curled into a fist. "I'm going, too."

"Ok," Jayden said pushing himself away from the wall. "Mel, Emily, and Jaeger you guys stay here and Mike, Antonio, Kevin, and I will go in and see if we can help Mia." He nodded over at Mel. "Let's see what Mia's dreaming about."

"Got it," Melody replied, her lips twitching.

She glanced over at Mentor before stepping over to Mia. She held her hands up over Mia's forehead, using her fingers and thumbs to make a square, the area inside it starting to glow purple. Melody then slowly pulled the two "L"s apart, the square getting bigger and bigger. As soon as it was as big as a laptop screen, Melody whispered something and a picture appeared in front of their eyes.

_"Oh no," Mia whimpered, staring out at a dinner table filled with partially eaten food. Her friends were slumped over in their chairs, eyes closed, unmoving. "No." _

_She grabbed Emily's shoulders, pulling her back from her plate of spaghetti. A few noodles were stuck to her chin, and sauce was smeared around her pale face. She hurried to check the rest of her friends and also found them lifeless._

"I guess this is a bad time to joke about it," Mike commented with a weird, lopsided grin, "but I think Mia knows we don't like her cooking." No one gave a response, except for Antonio who gave a choked laugh.

The picture suddenly rippled as if it was being seen through water, and the picture changed.

_Kevin, Mike, Antonio, and Emily were lying on the ground, unconscious. They were in Panorama City park, trees had fallen, and the ground was broken up, parts of it had risen, others fallen, as if an earthquake went through._

_Mia was pulling herself up from a drop, her clothes torn and dirty. Jayden hurried over to her, his bent Spin Sword in one hand, reaching out for her with his free hand. Mia saw that it was wrapped in bloody bandages, but grabbed his hand, allowing him to help her up._

_"He scares you, doesn't he, Jayden?" Melody laughed as she slowly paced around the small dip in the ground that Jayden was helping Mia climb out of. "You tried, didn't you? The brave leader you are. And you got caught." _

_This Melody was different. Her face was set in a harsh look, emphasized whenever she gave a satisfied smile. Her eyes were dark pits of purple, or was it black? They no longer held the laughter that was normally found in her eyes. She was also covered in dirt, her clothes torn, some parts stained with blood, but she didn't look to be hurt at all. She wasn't exhausted, but she was breathing like she had just finished a hard fight._

_Jayden threw a glare at Melody over his shoulder. She grinned when she saw the answer on Jayden's face. "Best not to make them mad." Melody shrugged. "Best not to make me mad, either. I can't make you see monsters. But I can make you see yourself; your life. Everything you've always wanted to keep hidden from us._" _Her face cleared for a moment, looking almost pitying. "I'm just sorry that I have to do this to you."_

_"We can help you!" Mia cried, standing up. Her knees buckled and she nearly fell back to the ground, but Jayden helped her back up to her feet. "You didn't have to sacrifice yourself."_

_"Ah, but it's what I do best, if you haven't already figured that out," Melody replied with a wave of her hand._

"Mia's nightmare; it's about what would happen if Xandred actually took over the Earth with Mel's powers," Jaeger said in a grim tone.

"What was that?" Mike asked, reaching forward with his finger. Jaeger tightly grabbed his wrist. "Wha-?"

"You don't want to touch that," Jaeger replied, his eyes still on the dream, slowly shaking his head back and forth. His expression then softened and he turned towards the Green Ranger. "What'd you see?"

"I thought I saw—"

"_That_!" Kevin cried, pointing at the picture.

Shadows were collecting on the ground in the dream. The Rangers watched as it formed a large black shadow on the ground. Something started to rise from the shadows. It was tall; it had red eyes as a snake like head formed. Next arms appeared, then a strong, muscled chest, and then, strong, legs that resembled a dog's legs. It swung its arms, wisps of shadows flying around.

"That must be the Nighlok," Jayden said, reaching for this Samuraizer in the waistband of his pants. "Let's go." Kevin and Mike nodded, getting to their feet. Jayden traced a symbol in the air. "Symbol Power; Portal." He noticed Emily, Antonio, Melody, and Mentor's worried looks. "We'll be back soon." He sucked in a deep breath before he, Kevin, Mike, and Jaeger jumped into the portal.

* * *

**A/N:** There's your explanation, "KeeepSmiling." I meant to have this up earlier, but my internet cut out for a long while. I updated this fic first because I had an idea for a scene that was put in here playing in my head all day while I was in class. This was originally one long chapter, but I split it up into two parts. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. All the action in the rest of the fic starts from here on out.

**~MysticMelody101~**


	21. Chapter 21: Dreamscape

**.:Chapter Twenty-One – Dreamscape:.**

***~Important Author's Note at the end  
**

* * *

"Whoa," Kevin gasped as he landed in Mia's dream. Everything was gray scale except for the three of them. He looked up at the sky and his jaw dropped. "Even the sun—"

"Who turned off the color?" Mike asked, spinning around in a circle, looking at everything. "I feel like I'm in one of those old movies. You feel me?"

"Guys, we have a job to do," Jayden said, his eyes darting back and forth as he slowly made his way forward. He didn't know exactly what it was that he was supposed to be looking for, but he knew he had to be alert.

"Mia!" Kevin called, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Mia, where are—" Kevin let out a noise of annoyance when Mike slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Not a good idea, dude," Mike said, shaking his head. "Have you ever watched a horror movie?"

"Please enlighten me on the point you're trying to get at, Mike," Kevin said, his voice filled with annoyance as Mike pulled his hand way. "We're wasting time."

"Think about it, Kev," Mike said, tapping Kevin twice on his forehead, "how trippy would it be in your _own_ dream to find your friends passed out on the ground and then a copy of them walked into view."

"It's a _dream_, Mike," Kevin replied, throwing his hands into the air. "We don't have time for this. We have to find Mia and the Nighlok."

"_I don't think you'll have to look far_!" a gravelly voice said, appearing behind the Rangers, causing them to jump.

As they turned around, a beam of green energy exploded at their feet, knocking them through the air, where they landed hard on the ground, feet away from where they originally stood. As the dirt rained down on the Rangers, laughter reached their ears.

Jayden rolled over onto his stomach and watched as a shadow came into his view. It was exactly like how they had seen it before they went into Mia's dream. Jayden felt a shiver run down his spine hen the beady yellow eyes locked with his own.

"Go Go Samuai," Jayden whispered, reaching for his morpher. He morphed, feeling the extra boost of energy rush into his body. Mike and Kevin followed his lead. Jayden pulled himself to his feet, gripping his Spin Sword, pulling it out of its sheath, never taking his eyes off of Jayden. "Where's Mia?"

"None of your business," the Nighlok replied in a weird hiss. "It is _you _that has my attention now." As soon as the words left its mouth, it seemed to twist itself, squeezing tighter and tighter, until there was a loud _pop_ and in its place stood a Power Ranger, with Jayden's build, made purely out of shadows, standing in front of them.

"What the-?" Mike gasped, slowly lowering his sword.

"It's a Shadow Jayden," Kevin said, his voice filled in awe. It was as if the Nighlok was indeed the shadow that was lying on the ground at Jayden's feet. The shadow had a life of its own; it could move independently.

Jayden propped his Spin Sword on his shoulder. The shadow copied his stance; drawing a shadow sword as well. The three Rangers stared it down before Mike darted forward, sprinting towards the Nighlok.

"You get out of my friend's dream and leave her alone!" he shouted. Mike lashed out; and Shadow Jayden side-stepped to the right, later ducking a right-hand jab, before it turned into Mike. "Dude! Not cool." Mike's head snapped back when a left-handed jab from Shadow Mike connected with the face plate of his helmet.

Kevin grabbed onto Mike's shoulder, pulling him away, and started a range of attacks on his own. He swore under his breath when Shadow Mike turned into Shadow Kevin before his movements started blurring as the shadow started firing off blow after blow on Kevin.

"Argh," Kevin let out a strangled cry when he felt the white hot pain of a sword sliding across the chest of his suit. _I don't understand. It's a shadow…but it's so real. _"Why are you attacking Mia?"

"Yeah, and…is her nightmare _really_ about her food?" Mike asked, putting a hand on his hip. "I mean, come _on_."

The Nighlok let out a growl in annoyance. "Between her and the Yellow Ranger, I knew I wouldn't be overcome with…_happiness_," he replied with a roll of his eyes. But, he still looked menacing as he and the Rangers slowly circled each other. "Who knew something as simple as food could freak her out?"

Jaeger let out a loud caterwaul, sprinting forward on all fours, slamming his shoulder into Shadow Kevin's stomach, knocking it off of its feet. The two boys rolled on the ground grunting, and groaning as it landed punches and kicks on each other. Jaeger bared his teeth in a hiss as Shadow Kevin pinned his arms above his head. Jaeger opened his mouth, letting out a loud roar, causing Shadow Kevin to flinch.

Jaeger then shot beams of purple energy out of his eyes, hitting Shadow Kevin in the face, causing him to grab his face in pain. Jaeger brought his knees to his chest. Placing his feet on Shadow Kevin's stomach, he gave a hard push, throwing him off of him. Shadow Kevin flew through the air, twisting in mid air as he transformed into Shadow Jaeger.

"Jayden," Jaeger said, breathing heavily as he rolled to his feet. "There's no way we can beat him, he changes so fast."

"This is the dream world, remember?" Jayden replied, sounding calm. He grabbed his Red Lion Disc and slipped it onto his Spin Sword. "Send him over here."

"You got it," Jaeger replied, using his thumb to wipe at the bottom of his nose. A growl rumbled in his throat as he, Kevin, and Mike faced the Shadow again.

"Bring it on, _Rangers_," the Shadow taunted.

"Hydro Bow!"

"Forest Spear!"

Kevin and Mike's combined attack of leaves and water struck Shadow Jaeger as it rushed towards them. "Darkness Release!" Jaeger called as his body was enveloped in dark purple energy.

With a loud _woosh_, all of he energy shot forward, leaving Jaeger's body, knocking Kevin and Mike aside. The energy turned into the shape of a lion before slamming into Shadow Jaeger. Shadow Jaeger let out a loud screech as the attack hit him, but he continued to rush forward, its eyes burning. Jaeger jumped aside and the Nighlok rushed towards Jayden.

Jayden was ready for it. As the shadow thrust its fists at him, he merely shifted from side to side, dodging the attacks. Jayden then blocked a downward strike from Shadow Jaeger and swung his leg up in a swift kick to its side. Shadow Jaeger stumbled as Jayden swung his Spin Sword at him.

Shadow Jaeger easily dodged the attack, quickly counter attacking with a clawed strike against Jayden's chest. Jayden groaned as his chest started burning with pain. It left him momentarily dazed. Shadow Jaeger let out a bark of laughter and sank a hard jab onto the Red Ranger's unprotected stomach. Jayden groaned at the impact, causing her to bend forwards open for another attack.

"Are you OK, Jayden?" Mike asked.

A slight nod was his answer from Jayden. While still bent over, Jayden gave the Red Lion Disc a hard push, changing his sword into his Fire Smasher. Gripping it tightly, Jayden quickly swung it towards Shadow Jaeger's ankle, knocking him over. The large weapon then burst into flames and Jayden swung it down onto Shadow Jaeger's chest, causing it to scream as the flames shot off the Fire Smasher and started to lick at its body.

Everything around them seemed to get darker by the second. Shadows blocked out the sun before swirling around Shadow Jaeger, wrapping it in its dark, protective hold. It grouped together, swirling around the Rangers, before shooting off into the sky.

"Where did it go?" Mike asked, looking around. He blinked when color started to blossom in everything around them.

"Did we defeat it?" Kevin asked.

"No," Jayden said with a shake of his head, "it just left Mia's dream. We have to get out of here, quickly." He pulled his Samuraizer out of his pocket, and quickly conjured another portal, to get themselves out of Mia's dream. As they passed through the portal and landed back in the Shiba House, Mia stirred, blinking rapidly a few times.

"Mia!" Kevin cried, taking off his helmet, hurrying to her side. Mia tried to sit up, but Kevin put a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back down. "Mia, are you ok?"

"Th-that was the scariest nightmare," Mia muttered, rubbing at her eyes. She blinked when Kevin put a hand to her forehead. Emily did the same, pushing Kevin's hand out of the way before throwing her arms around Mia's neck in a tight hug. "What are you doing?"

"I'm so glad you're ok!" Emily said as she pulled back from the hug. "Do you remember anything?"

"They were there," Mia said, motioning towards Jayden, Mike, Kevin, and Jaeger. She smiled over at Kevin, who was closest to her. "Thank you. I knew what I was dreaming wasn't real. That Nighlok…I couldn't fight it. It was so real."

"We're just glad you're ok, Mia," Kevin replied, giving her a soft smile. "That Nighlok was pretty nasty." He then looked up in alarm. "Where did it go?" Melody suddenly dropped to the ground, gripping her head. "Well, that answers my question.

"Mel," Jaeger cried as he crouched down next to her, "you have to fight it. You know it's not real." He then turned to face the other Rangers. "It's like I said, this Nighlok feeds off the fear that the Darkness gives it—"

"So what better person to go to than someone who wields the power," Mike finished for him. "Dude, that's messed up."

Mentor pushed past all of the Rangers, kneeling down on her other side. "You have to do everything you can not to have this consume you," he said in an urgent tone. "Don't let it possess you."

"I don't understand, I thought Grypohnator—"

"They're using our fears against us alright," Jayden said with a grim tone, "but I was wrong before. One of Gryphonator's eyes, the robotic one, must've been some sort of scanner. He must've taken the time while we were out cold to figure out what all of our fears were."

"You don't think…Xandred will be waiting to use that against us one by one?" Mia asked, slowly getting to her feet. Kevin tightly gripped her arm, making sure she was ok. Jayden gave a grim nod. "I knew things were going too good for us, lately."

"Then why scramble your memories at all?" Emily asked, "that makes no sense."

"Yeah, and he didn't even touch ours," Mike added.

He jumped when Melody let out a shriek, clenching her teeth. "Get it out," she pleaded, seeming to collapse in on herself. "Please, get it out."

"Dude, can't you do something?" Mike asked, looking over at Jaeger with wide, eyes.

"Even with my vast knowledge on our powers, I wouldn't know where to begin to help with something like this," Jaeger said with a frown. "But, to answer your other question; Mel's worst fear is losing her family. And when I say family, I mean those who are actually related to her and her Ranger family."

"When you say 'lose', you mean by her own hand, don't you?" Jayden asked.

Jaeger stared at him, before silently nodding. He didn't want to ask the question, but as soon as the words were out of Jaeger's mouth, that's what he instantly thought of. Silence hung in the air after his question and Jaeger's answer. He put a hand to his chin, looking thoughtful. He knew how important her family was to her, and that, like the other Rangers, she was making a big sacrifice by staying at the Shiba House. But, she wasn't 100% there. He knew that she was around if they needed her but she wasn't always mentally there.

Melody gasped loudly as her eyes shot open; glowing a bright purple. Her body curved in on itself as pain wracked her body. She felt cold all over; she could feel a hand take control over her body, causing her to curl up even further. Jaeger brushed her hair from her face and calling her name over and over again, trying to get her to respond.

Her eyes snapped over at him, and her upper lip curled. "Don't _touch_ me," she snarled. Jaeger pulled his hands back as if they were scalded before he moved to kneel in front of her, holding his hands out on either side of her head, his hands glowing. She blinked and her eyes briefly returned to their normal color. "God, it hurts so bad," she whimpered.

"Just stay with me," Jaeger muttered, "you can do this, Mel, come on."

""N-no...please stop..."

"What are you doing?" Antonio asked.

"I'm not hurting her," Jaeger replied, his mouth set into a grim line.

Flashes of pictures, or rather memories, of Melody's friends and family appeared in front of her eyes. She felt a sense of serenity as she saw them, but they flashed by so quickly, that she had the feeling of hope ripped away from her over, and over again. Her head pounded and her stomach churned.

_Darkness descended all around her as she reached out with her hands, reaching for anything to give her some reassurance that she was going to be ok. Melody jerked her hand back when she felt something wet and cold underneath her fingers. Dim lights suddenly appeared; barely giving any light in the space. _

_"I was wondering when you'd allow yourself to come back here." Melody turned around at the sudden voice and watched as Serrator stepped out of the shadows. "I'm sorry I had to coax you into it. Nice work, Terrorem."_

_"My pleasure," the Nighlok replied with a grin, revealing sharp yellow teeth, rubbing his hands together. "She's a tough one to crack, that's for sure."_

_"Good, good," Serrator replied, stepping over to Melody. Each footstep reverberated off of the walls."Nice to finally meet you, face to face. Deker's told me all about you."_

_"Deker was defeated," Melody replied, slowly back up._

_"That's what you think," Serrator replied, chuckling. "Deker is stronger than your Red Ranger thinks. If he was defeated, you wouldn't keep seeing him."_

_"He's…he's actually there?" Melody asked, rubbing at the spot on her head where Deker had pulled her hair before. The area started to throb at the thought of it. "That's not possible."_

_"We're not normal people," Serrator commented, his eyes narrowing. "Deker's not like us; he's caught at the crossroads; good or evil. He thought a fight against the Red Ranger would lift his curse; but I was way too smart for that. You see, I'm not done with him yet." He clasped his hands behind his back. "And I'm not done with you either."_

_"Yes, you are," Aura snarled, strolling into the area. She seemed to be radiating light as she stepped through the darkness. Melody felt a sense of calm wash over her. "Leave Melodia alone. She was not meant to do your evil bidding."_

_"It's why she was given her powers," Serrator snarled, "to help us who are cursed in this god forsaken place. We're not all meant to be here." His eyes seemed alive with a new found energy. "This is the only way she can save everybody and you know it. Even her family." Melody's heart skipped a beat and her mind started working in overtime._

_"Don't you dare bring that up in front of her," Aura snapped."You know that has nothing to do with this."_

_"If you help us, those of us who did not intend to be here, nor wish to be here anymore, I can reassure you that you will see your family happy and healthy in the future," Serrator said, turning his gaze over to Melody. "Think about your father. He misses you, you know. His own daughter that won't ever see him."_

_"That's not true," Melody replied, shaking his head. "He knows why I have to be here. He's going to be ok."_

_"Now, I know you don't really believe that, young one," Serrator replied in a calm tone. "No one can really be that strong all the time. You don't want to be the cause of two deaths do you?" Melody's heart sank and she dropped her eyes to her feet. "I swear to you; I can make it that you'll see your father happy and healthy for years to come. As I said, I'm not meant to be here."_

_"You are when you commit treason," Aura replied, a hard edge to her tone. Serrator blinked at her. "You are the only one to blame for the consequences of your actions. It took me a while to figure it out, but now that I have, you're not going to take her." She placed a hand on Melody's shoulders. Melody felt like she was floating._

_"You will not stop me," Serrator snarled. "Not again, Aurelian." He then turned his fierce gaze over to the Nighlok. "Terrorem; go back to the Netherworld."_

_"Yes, sir," Terrorem replied, saluting._

_Serrator suddenly lunged forward. Melody felt him grab her arm, tightly gripping it—_

She was back in the Shiba House, her head throbbing, mind swimming. She could hear the relieved voices of her friends, but ignored them as she brushed past them to hurry into the bathroom, making her way over to the toilet just as she threw up.

"Mel?" Mia was at her side, a second later, brushing her hair from her face. "Are you okay?"

Melody spat into the toilet a few times before lifting her head. "Not really." Mia moved to sit on the edge of the bathtub, gently rubbing the Purple Ranger's back for a second.

"Is the Nighlok gone?" Mia asked.

"I don't kn—" Melody's stomach lurched for a second time and she stuck her head over the toilet bowl, waiting to throw up for a second time. False alarm. She then stopped and thought about everything. Her head wasn't throbbing anymore. She felt like her normal self. "Yeah, it's gone."

She flushed the toilet and sat back on her heels. She looked at her elbow and saw a bright red mark on her arm. She then turned towards Mia. The Pink Ranger gave her a curious look. "Did you…does anything hurt?" she asked slowly. Mia's eyebrows shot up. "In your dream, we saw you hurt. Are you ok?"

Mia blinked as if suddenly realizing that she in fact was. Keeping her eyes on the Purle Ranger, she lifted the bottom of her shirt and Melody saw a scratch sitting near her belly button. It didn't look too bad, some blood was speckled on her skin, but other than that, she looked fine.

"That Nighlok," Melody said with a shake of her head. "If you get hurt in your dreams, you get hurt in real life."

"We need to check on the boys," Mia said getting to her feet. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I will be as long as that Nighlok gets defeated," Melody replied, shakily getting to her feet. "Seriously, Mia, this is like the real life boogie man. It can get into anyone's dreams and actually cause harm."

The two girls left the bathroom, after Melody made sure to rinse her mouth out with some mouth wash, and explained everything to the boys. The Rangers were surprised to hear what Melody had dreamed, which lead into a debate about whether or not Melody was actually dreaming. All in all, that made it hard for her to not tell the Rangers that this wasn't the first time she had seen Serrator in her dreams.

"So what are we going to do now?" Antonio asked with a shake of his head. "That Nighlok is back in the Netherworld, sure, but how are we going to defeat something that shape-shifts into ourselves?"

"Maybe if we try to use someone else to fight?" Emily suggested. "Like, if it turns into Shadow Kevin, then have Mike fight it?"

"It moves too fast," Mike replied with a shake of his head, lighting pressing a spot on his ribs, frowning as it throbbed with pain. "There was no way we could get advantage of it."

"We can pick back up on this topic in the morning," Mentor Ji said getting to his feet. "You all need a good night's sleep."

* * *

The Rangers somehow slept through the rest of the night without incident, but the house was on edge. It was hard to know that they had a Nighlok that could actually make its way into the Shiba House through any one of them. It was because of this that no one was really concentrating on their training. In short, it was a disaster. They were messing up on easy things as they let their minds wander.

Mentor knew it was hard for the Rangers to deal with something like that, and it was hard to watch. He had never seen their confidence shattered that badly (save for Mike who nearly lost it when Emily's spirit was taken by a Nighlok). He suggested to them to leave the house for a while, to clear their minds and to try and get their spirits back up, but even then it took them some convincing to do so.

Once they were out of the house, they tried to find some fun things to do. They went to the fair they were having down at the ports. They went to the park, and even went to the movies, trying to take their minds of things. And it worked for the most part, while they didn't think about the Nighlok for a while, they were able to loosen up and to have fun. For the most part.

"Dude, you've been, like, a million miles away all day," Mike commented as he caught up with Melody as they carried a load of groceries into the house.

Much to everybody's dismay, Mia had convinced them to stop by the store to get food on the way back as she offered to make them dinner that night. Mike made a comment about Mia's food giving him nightmares, which didn't go unnoticed. His arm had recently stopped stinging from the slap he received from her.

"I've just been thinking," Melody replied, giving him a hint of a smile, trying to reassure him that she was ok. But, she wasn't. She kept thinking about her family and what Serrator had said to her. She knew that she couldn't trust what he said. She knew what he did to Deker and Dayu, but at the same time, he didn't seem like he was the evil person the other Rangers made him out to be. He almost sounded human; like he had gone through the same thing at one point in her life. It made her want to go home.

It was too much pressure; she could stay and be a Ranger and possibly never see her dad again if things got worse, or she could go home, and hope that her friends could take down the rest of the Nighlok without her. _Jayden took the time out of his life to recruit you to help with the team, if he didn't think you could do it, he wouldn't have asked_, she reminded herself as she slowly set her bags down on the table. She knew that Mike was still watching her, waiting for her to explain what was wrong. Mike was her best friend in the house, there was no denying that.

She knew that she'd be hurting everybody there if she left. But, no one else knew how hard it was to leave a sick family member at home. Emily knew, and she was starting to become depressed, but her family was farther away. Melody's family was right here. Surely, everybody could see that the pull was even greater for her? And no one except for Jaeger truly knew how hard his was all for her. She had only decided to help the Rangers out, mainly because she knew that it was the right thing to do, but because she couldn't stand to see her dad die.

_I said I wouldn't run away from my problems, so what am I doing now? Running away from my family. Liam was really hurt; I'm sure the rest of them are, too_, Melody thought with a heavy sigh. She had made up her mind. "I just…I want to go home," Melody said, looking over at Mike. "Just for a little while. To make sure everybody is ok. I feel like I'm complicating things here."

"Mel, you know you're not," Mike said with a shake of his head. "We're better because you're here."

"I'm not even a real Samurai," Melody replied, shaking her head. "I just need to sort things out; to make sure this is really what I want to do. And to keep you guys safe."

"You're keeping us safe by being here," Mike pointed out to her.

"That Nighlok wouldn't have entered Mia's dream if I wasn't here, Mike," Melody replied in as calm a tone as possible. She thought that he would understand why she wanted to leave. "You heard what Terrorem said; that he was trying to get to me. Serrator is out to get me and I can only stay in this house for so long. You know that Jayden is going to talk to Mentor soon."

"I thought you wanted to be back on the team," Mike said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I do, I'm experiencing freaking cabin fever in here," Melody replied. She then took in a deep breath, letting it all out. "Look, Mike, you know everything's that's going on with my family—"

"Emily's sister is sick, and you don't see her going to Jayden asking him to leave for a while," Mike pointed out to her.

"If anything goes wrong, which I hope to God it doesn't, you know she would," Melody pointed out to him. "It's not like I'm quitting the team. As soon as there's trouble, just call me and I'll be there. You can trust me on that." Mike open and closed his mouth. Melody instantly knew that he was thinking back to the time where she had left in the middle of a battle against a Nighlok. "I'll admit that wasn't my finest hour. But, you were going to check on my friends before the Nighlok went on a rampage."

"I didn't say anything," Mike said with a shake of his head, his voice cracking. "At least just go and make sure they're ok and come back. I'll cover for you, like I always do." He then gave her a serious look. "I won't make it in this house without you. I'll die. Seriously."

Melody couldn't help but laugh. She then gave him a knowing look. "You have Emily," she replied quietly and Mike turned his attention away from her, looking thoughtful. "I'm not abandoning you."

"It's…look, we all have had to leave things behind," Mike said after a moment of silence, "our dreams, our fears, our family. You're not alone. Of anyone, Emily would get how you're feeling."

"I know she would," Melody agreed, "but none of you guys understand what it's like to have my powers."

"You're right, we don't," Mike agreed, "but after three years…I figured you'd know how not to be afraid of what you can do."

"Mike—"

"I'll cover for you again," Mike interrupted her, holding out his fist, "no problem. Just go do what you gotta do."

Melody relaxed into a smile, bumping his fist with her own. "You're awesome, Mike."

"What's going on?"

Mike and Melody exchanged glances, cringing as they turned around to face Jayden, who was carrying two bags of food in his arms. He looked back and forth between the two of them as he slowly set down his bags. "What are you covering for her?" he asked, finally keeping his eyes on Mike. "Clearly, this isn't the first time you've done it."

"Uhhh…"Mike replied, looking over at Melody, silently asking her for help.

"I wanted to talk to you about this for a little while," Melody said, turning back towards Jayden, clasping her hands behind her back. "I understand that you were going to talk to Mentor about my being taken off of probation, and you don't have to worry about the chores, I don't mind doing that, but I was wondering if you could delay that for a while."

"I've noticed something's been bothering you for a while, Mel," Jayden commented, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought you would've said something by now." He tilted his head to the side, peering over at Mike. "Am I someone you guys can't come to when you have a problem?"

Mike snorted. "Not really," he replied, ignoring Melody's hard stare. "I mean, you're all about 'Mission this' and 'Mission that' and 'train, train, train.' I mean, don't get me wrong dude, you've really opened up over the past few years, but still…being Rangers is really important to you. Not that it's a bad thing but—"

Jayden slowly nodded, but he didn't say anything. "I understand that you had a hard time leaving," he said slowly, "but so did everybody else. I'd say Emily's had it rough—"

"I would just like to see my family for a little bit," Melody muttered.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew that Jayden wasn't going to go for it mainly because she never actually planned to really tell him why she wanted to. The more people she told about her dad, the more she would actually have to accept what was going on with him, and to know that there was a chance that he wouldn't get better. It was hard enough to have her live through updates through email, driving herself to a frenzy, wanting to know what was going on.

"Actually, you know what? Just forget it."

Jayden peered at her. "You haven't been fully here, and that's not keeping our team safe," Jayden slowly replied. "I'd let you go see your family, make sure everything's ok, but you have to understand, if I did that for you, then I'd have to do it for everybody."

"What's wrong with that?" Mike asked.

"I can't afford to have my team broken up with this Nighlok—"

"While I do understand the threat of this Nighlok, and believe me I do," Melody interrupted Jayden, an edge to her tone, "I don't think it's fair to not be able to visit our families at least once. I mean, you let me go during Christmas."

"Yeah, but—"

"She's got a point," Mike commented. "I mean, I understand it was the holidays and everything, but still."

"You have to understand that this is the only way to keep your family safe," Jayden said in calculated voice. "Mike's friend's got hurt when he went to see them, and that was only out of frustration at things here." He peered closely at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Melody replied, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. Forget I said anything."

"I'm not going to forget it, Mel," Jayden said, grabbing her arm as she moved past him. "Mike said he was covering for you. You've been seeing your family for a while haven't you?" She didn't have to give a verbal answer for Jayden to know that she had been.

It all made sense. Her family was what was stopping her from joining their team in the first place, and now that she was there, it was hindering her from being at the best of her ability. He rubbed at his forehead, feeling betrayed. Who knew what else their team had been doing behind his back. And this had been going on for a long while. He felt with her previous punishment that he and Mentor were too soft on her. And now everything was starting to fall on top of each other.

"If I leave now, that Nighlok won't have a way back into the Shiba House, he won't be able to hurt you guys," Melody commented, pulling her arm out of Jayden's grip. "I just need to make sure my family is ok. That's all."

"I'm sorry, Mel, but—"

She was frustrated and the next words that came out of her mouth were so fueled with anger, she would've been surprised if she had actually been able to keep them in. "God, would you at least think about how we feel for one second? Maybe if you actually _had _a family around you wouldn't be acting like such a jerk."

Jayden's eyes widened slightly. An angry look crossed his face for a moment and he looked like he wanted to yell back at her, but he didn't. He let out a breath of air through his nose setting his jaw. "If you want to go and check on your family, I can't stop you," he said in a low voice. "If it's something that you really want to do, go right ahead."

"But?" Mike prompted, looking nervous. He exchanged glances with Melody. Both of them had a feeling that bad news was coming.

"If you do leave, then you're off the team," he replied in a low voice. "For good." This time his voice cracked. He dropped his gaze down to his feet when he heard Mike let out a soft, surprised, "Dude!"

"What?" Melody asked, her voice barely above a whisper. _This can't be happening._

"You heard me," Jayden replied, looking up at her, or rather, at a spot over her shoulder.

"Jayden, don't—"

Jayden put his hand into the air and Mike immediately stopped talking. "This is how it's going down," he said in a scarily calm voice. "You're going to go and pack and you'll be out of this house after everyone's fallen asleep—"

"Jayden, please, I'm sorry—"

"You're going to leave." He swallowed thickly, a look she couldn't place coming to his eyes. "I'm sorry, but this is what I have to do if it means keeping everyone safe." He knew he was being a jerk. He knew he was handling things the wrong way, but he couldn't help it. He was mad. Those words triggered something in him. He couldn't think straight. "You knew the rules, and you know the risks of what could happen and you continued to break it. And that's not good for the team. You're not responsible enough to be here."

His words knocked the breath from her. Not to see him, or any of her friends anymore? Worse, he thought she'd betrayed his trust. Wasn't it true? She should have told him. She never should have thought that she could've gotten away with it in the first place. It wasn't worth losing the lifestyle she's grown to love and the friends she's made.

"Dude," Mike repeated. Melody looked over at Mike, slightly shaking her head from side to side.

"I do understand," she whispered, her voice breaking. She looked him straight in the eye. Jayden raised his eyebrows. "I just want you to know that I love it here. I love _being_ here, training, and hanging around with everyone." She looked like she was going to say something else, but decided against it. "I just need some time, a few days, to clear my head of everything. But, if you think I deserve more time than that, then so be it. I know I screwed things up. I always do."

Jayden wasn't going to change his had betrayed his trust and put the team in danger, and that was all that mattered. He thought that maybe she had changed. She _had_ changed. She was more open. They had many conversations he didn't think he'd ever have with anyone besides Antonio. He thought everything was different.

He shook his head angrily. _Stupid, stupid, stupid… _He angrily raked his fingers through his hair. _And this is why you need to stay focused. Keep your mind on the mission. You're a leader first and foremost. You can't get distracted, not now. This is for the best. This'll keep the team safe_. _I won't have anyone making stupid actions_.

Jayden turned his face, looking away. His jaw twitched. "Stop it." He let out a small curse when he heard footsteps.

"Hey guys," Antonio's voice drifted over to them. "You should've seen it—!"

Jayden closed the distance between himself and Melody. She met his gaze and silently begged him to change his mind. "Tell them you're leaving," he whispered, of her ears only. His eyes were stony in a face of granite.

Melody swallowed thickly, slowly shaking her head. "I don't want to leave," she replied. "I mean, I do, but just for a little while. To make sure that—"

"If I can't trust you 100% to make the Samurai life your first priority, then I can't trust you in this house, around my team," Jayden said. An apologetic look crossed his face, before that was quickly replaced with a look of confidence. He was a leader; tough decisions like this was bound to happen. But, that didn't make it any less harder to do. "Tell them you're leaving and you're not coming back."

Melody opened her mouth to protest and sighed heavily when everyone stepped into the living room. She gave a slight nod. They both knew the severity of her actions, and while neither of them wanted things to end up this way, they couldn't deny that it was right. It was all or nothing in the Samurai life. She had chosen her family once, and caused the team many injuries. He wasn't going to sit by and watch it happen again. Not with Serrator, and not with Xandred.

The Rangers slowly walked in, no doubt feeling the thick tension that surrounded the tree teenagers. Mia was the first to break the silence, slowly putting her bag down on the table. "What's going on?"

"Uh," Melody scratched her forehead before she turned to face Kevin, Antonio, Mia, and Emily's curious looks. "I have to leave. Now."

"But…why?" Emily asked, darting a look over at Mike, silently asking for an explanation. Mike scratched the back of his neck and dropped his gaze to his feet. "What's up?"

"I…I can't explain right now," Melody replied, brushing her hair out of her face. "But, maybe I can come back later and—" Jayden cleared his throat pointedly.

"Are you coming back?" Antonio asked in a quiet voice. Melody pressed her lips together for a moment. "You _are_ coming back, aren't you?" His volume had increased a little.

"Aren't you?" Emily asked in a quiet, squeaky, voice, tears filling her eyes.

"I—no," Melody admitted. "I can't come back. Not ever." She looked at each of them and attempted a smile. "So, uh, good luck with the fight. I'm proud of you guys and, uh, I'll be rooting for ya." She brushed her hair behind her ears as she hurried past them, trying to stop her tears as she made her way to her bedroom.

She could hear Kevin ask behind her, "What'd she do?" and Jayden reply, "She's done enough."

_He's right_, Melody thought as she slipped into the room, closing the door behind her. She pressed her back up against the door and let out a shaky breath, tears sliding down her cheeks. _I've done way more than enough_.

"You ok?" Jaeger asked, sitting cross legged in the middle of her bed. Melody merely glanced at him as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "That was a dumb question, huh?"

"Kinda," Melody admitted with a small laugh as she moved over to join him on her bed. She sniffed loudly. "God, Jaeger, I've really screwed up this time."

"It's not so bad," Jaeger said, patting her knee. "He'll come around. It'll just take some time."

Melody shook her head. "I don't think he'll ever forgive me, J," she replied. "I've really betrayed his trust and I've been lying straight to his face. I just…Mike's my best friend and I couldn't see him get in trouble. This means so much to him." She tried to fight back another wave of tears. "But when I confessed Jayden looked…he looked—I don't know, it was just weird. Like I personally hurt him, y'know?" Jaeger's lips twitched but he didn't say anything. "I should start packing."

"Hold on a sec, Mel," Jaeger said, grabbing her arm as she stood up. "This isn't easy for me to say. But, um, given what's happened—"

"You want to stay here," Melody replied and Jaeger slowly nodded. "You've always been easy to figure out."

"I just think they could still use the extra help," Jaeger explained, peering into Melody's blue eyes with his green ones. "And a way to be protected while everything with Serrator and these new Nighloks continue."

"Say no more," Melody said putting her hands up. "I understand completely and I think it's a good idea. Hopefully Jayden will let you stay at least. What about Azure?"

Jaeger hesitated for a moment. "I'll deal with it," he replied.

She let out a breath of air through her nose. "I know I wasn't the happiest about being a Ranger again, but after being here for this long, I've gotten so used to it. And with every person I've saved, I feel like I've made up for—"

"For not being able to save Trini," Jaeger said slowly, a look of realization crossing his face. "That explains so much. If it helps, you're a great Ranger and you've already done so much, not only for Angel Grove, but for Panorama as well."

Melody attempted a smile through her tears. "Thanks, J. You're a great guardian, and a great friend."

"So are you," Jaeger replied with a cat like smile. "I'm sorry."

"Me too."

..

.

"_Jayden_," Antonio called after the Red Ranger as he silently made his way into the backyard. Antonio grabbed his shoulder, turning him around. "Jayden, what was that? I thought you were going to talk to Mentor."

"I was going to," Jayden admitted with a nod. "Things change."

"But—"

"She had her doubts about being here, so I'm making it easier for her," Jayden said, interrupting him. "I know you're all not happy about it, but what's done is done."

"Jayden, we need her," Antonio said with a shake of his head, "or do you not understand that."

"I do," Jayden simply replied, "and I agree. We _do_ need her."

Antonio gave him a confused look. He open and closed his mouth a few times before he finally got words out. "Then, why'd you send her packing?"

"She needs to figure out whether or not this is the place she wants to be," Jayden said, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "No one's forcing her to be here. Need I remind you that she's ditched us in a fight before? How do I know she won't do that again?"

"Because you can trust her," Antonio replied. "She just had one little nightmare—"

"That was based on what she was feeling deep down," Jayden cut in, "same with Mia. Mia's always been worried about her cooking. Look where that got us; no one has the guts to actually tell her to her face that we hate her cooking.

"Whatever," Antonio said after a moment of silence, "I guess I can't make you change your mind." He was silent, staring at Jayden.

"I know she wants to be here," Jayden said to him, "but I have to do what's right for the team?"

"So…if she comes back…you'll let her back on the team?" Antonio asked.

Jayden didn't respond to the question. He didn't plan on kicking someone off the team, or even having Melody ask him if she could leave for a while. It surprised him to even find out that she had kept seeing her family and that Mike knew about it. But, he knew that she was going to be a hard person to convince to help them out from the get go. It wasn't that he anticipated that something like this would happen eventually, but he prepared himself just in case something came up. He thought she would've said something earlier.

At the same time, the serious, 'I'm-a-leader-first-friend-second' side of him did feel betrayed by her actions, which was why he had gotten so mad. What she said to him was a low blow, and it angered him even more that he couldn't tell the other Rangers what was going on with him. He knew he made a horrible decision taking his anger out on her, but he wasn't thinking straight.

She had said things to him that made him fly off the handle, but in the middle of the argument, he had made up his mind. He knew she would quickly catch on with his sudden about face; she could read minds after all, and he knew that she was going to. He had caught the quick flash of purple in her eyes. The ball was in her court now.

"She's a formidable fighter, and we wouldn't have gotten as far as we have without her," Jayden said after a moment of silence. "She has to want this."

"What do _you_ want?" Antonio asked. Jayden blinked at the sudden question. He then pressed his lips, together, letting out a breath of air through his nose.

_To keep her safe. To keep my team safe. To keep the city safe. To tell you all my secret. _"I want to defeat the Nighlok," Jayden replied. "Once and for all."

Antonio peered at him. Jayden didn't know if his friend believed him. He didn't even know if he believed himself. He just knew that he had to do everything he could to keep his team thinking about their mission. But, he couldn't help but wonder what his dad would do in this case? Jayden looked back towards the house and saw Mentor standing at the back door watching him. He knew this was all on him. He had to make tough decisions; he was their leader after all. No one said this was going to be easy.

"Tell Mike I want to speak with him."

* * *

**A/N: ****I have changed my pen name from "MysticMelody101" to "HypnoticMelody"**

The one thing I REALLY don't like myself for doing in this chapter was how dramatic the last part turned out. I originally planned it where Jayden made them _think _she was kicked off the team so they wouldn't go looking for her to try and bring her back, but it ended up this way. At the same time, I think what it was that made Jayden go off, worked well.

If you guys were confused at any point, feel free to PM me and i'll try to clear things up as best as I can.

For those of you who read my first PR fanfic **Midnight Silhouettes_,_** I'm currently re-writing it and will be posting the fic again soon.

**~MysticMelody101~**


	22. Chapter 22: I Turn To You

**.:Chapter Twenty-Two – I Turn To You:.**

* * *

It was a week since Melody had left the Shiba House and returned home. Things were normal. But foreign to her. She loved being around her brothers and spending time with them, catching up on everything, and even being able to play and write new music with them, and she even had no problem hanging around Bulk and Spike, taking the time to each them some moves of self-defense, just in case something went wrong, but it was different than what she was used to.

She would hear about Nighlok attacks on the news, and would watch, transfixed, to see if she could catch glimpses of her friends. But, she was proud of them for continuing on with the fight. As soon as she got back, she emailed and Skyped her old friends, explaining to them about what was going on and apologizing for not contacting them. She was simply busy with everything at the Shiba House to reply to emails in a timely fashion.

She had just finished a Skype call with Rocky (where she had to reassure him, much to her amusement, that no, she was not replacing him in her life with someone else. She had forgotten how much of a goofball he was, and she felt a pang of sadness when she found herself laughing at him) when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in," she called, closing her computer lid.

"Hey, sis," Mika said, poking his head into the door. He pushed the door wide, adjusting the strap to his backpack on his shoulders. "Hey, you're smiling."

"Rocky made me laugh," Melody replied, removing her glasses from her face to rub at her eyes. "It's not like I haven't smiled since I've been here."

"True," Mika commented. He wasn't going to call her out on the fact that while she _had_ smiled, it wasn't that often. She was clearly upset about the way things had gone down at the Shiba House, and so was he. When he heard about what had happened, he wanted to be the protective brother and march down to the house and give Jayden a piece of his mind, but he knew that wouldn't fix things.

"What's up?" Melody asked, patting a spot on her bed. He crossed the room and sat down, setting his bag down on the ground.

"We were going to go to the beach and surf for a while," Mike explained, running his fingers through his hair. "Dad wants to take a nap so we figured we'd get out of the house for a while." He then paused and added. "Plus, you've been locked up in your room this whole time and—"

"No, I haven't," Melody interrupted him, shaking her head. "I've hung out with you guys since I've been home. I'm just…getting used to working at the restaurant and everything again."

"If you say so," Mika replied with a heavy sigh. "I know you really liked being over there and everything. I just hate seeing you sad."

"I'm not sad," Melody replied, getting to her feet. She went to closer and grabbed a drawstring bag, starting to shove clothes and flip flops into it. "I'm mad; at myself and at Jayden. I mean, look, I get that I messed up, and I know I was breaking the rules and everything, and I understand that he was mad, but still."

"So, why don't you apologize to him?" Mika asked, giving her a confused look.

"That's not going to happen," Melody replied shortly. "Can we just drop it?"

"Ok, but—"

"But, what?" Melody asked, giving him an annoyed look.

"Nothing, you just really care about them, and him, if you're this upset about it," Mika replied with a shrug. "Last time I saw you this upset was when Jason, Zack, and Trini left, and then when Kimberly left, and then when Rocky was off the team—"

"I get it, I get it," Melody said, putting her hand up to stop him from talking. "What point are you trying to make?"

"Just that you clearly loved being over there with them, and that you loved being around them, and that you love them," Mika replied. Melody's eyes narrowed slightly as she scrutinized her twin. He didn't look like he was going to offer her any more insight to what he was thinking, and she wasn't about to ask. She just wanted to stop talking about it.

"Can we just go?" she asked, grabbing her camera off her bedpost before making her way into the hallway. She opened the linen closet door and grabbed a beach towel. "I'm bringing my camera. I haven't taken any underwater shots in a while. I can get the film developed on the way home."

"Why are you snapping at me?" Mika asked, raising his eyebrows.

Melody looked at him over her shoulder and said, "Because you're not entirely wrong," before going back to what she was doing. "Come on, let's go."

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute, tell the others to start packing the car," Mika replied with a nod. Melody shrugged, hurrying down the stairs. Mika waited until Melody was out of ear shot before grabbing his phone out of his bag. He scrolled through the numbers on his phone before calling it, holding his phone up to his ear. "Hey, yeah, it's me. I was wondering if you could do me a favor? If it's not too short of a notice, I was wondering if you could maybe come down here, to Panorama. Yeah, and see if you could bring anyone else with you, I'll explain why in a minute. You will? Great!"

"Mika, let's go!" Liam cried impatiently, making his way partway up the stairs. "The waves aren't going to surf themselves."

"I'll call you back in a little bit," Mika said into the phone and hung up. He then frowned at his brother. "Jesus, ever since you turned thirteen you've been so bossy." He put his phone back in his bag. He put his arm around his brother's shoulders and adopted a serious tone. "Or did this all start happening when Mel left?"

"I don't know," Liam muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. Mike clicked his tongue, staring at him and Liam let out his breath of air in a huff. "It's all of it. I barely remember mom, dad's sick, and Mel's not here. I always thought, once we found her, we'd finally be a family."

"Ok, family meeting," Mika said with a heavy sigh, "go get everyone for me and meet in the living room."

"Why don't you get them?" Liam asked, arching an eyebrow at his older brother. Mika didn't reply, but silently stared at his brother. "Ok, ok." He let out another huff of annoyance and marched down the stairs as Mika made his way into the living room. He sat down in one of the chairs, listening as the door to the garage opened, and Liam asked for everyone to come into the living room. He then returned, moments later, Braiden, Skylar, and Melody following behind him. "There, ya happy?"

"Ecstatic," Mika replied sarcastically as everyone else sat down. "We need to talk about dad, and Mel, and Liam's bad attitude."

"Oh, I thought I was the only one that noticed that," Skylar commented, with an eye roll. He barely flinched when Liam punched him in the thigh.

"Stop it," Mika said in a stern tone to his baby brother. "Now, I know we're all worried about dad, but that doesn't mean we should take our frustrations out on each other." He then briefly glanced over at his twin sister. "And I know, it also doesn't help with Mel gone, but we have to face reality here; she's stuck in a tight spot and so are we. Instead of drifting apart, we should be banding together to help each other out."

"Hard to do when we can't see her," Braiden commented quietly, crossing his arms over his chest from where he sat on the arm rest of the couch. "I mean, we've known she was a Power Ranger for a while, and we've never not been allowed to see her."

"I wasn't too happy about the rule either," Melody spoke up, putting her hand in the air as if she was in class. "That's the main reason why I didn't want to go and join them."

"Why did you join them again?" Braiden asked, brushing his long hair from his face. "You never actually told us why."

"Yeah, and why didn't Jaeger come back with you?" Skylar asked, placing with the silver band around his right pinky. "He always goes where you go."

Melody was silent for a moment, before she cleared her throat. "With everything that happened to Trini and what's going on with dad, I told myself that if anyone ever needed help, I was going to do whatever I could to help them," she replied slowly, as if choosing her words carefully, "if they could be helped. I don't want anyone else to know what it's like to lose a loved one, especially not in a way as gruesome as a monster attack. No one deserves that. And, I never really felt like I belonged until I became a Ranger."

"But, you had Jason and Kim and them," Mika pointed out, a confused look on his face.

"I know, but I mean, it was always Jason and Zack, Trini and Kim, Billy and Trini," Melody replied, "and here I was held back a grade, a year younger than everyone else. Sometimes, I felt like I was a little kid tagging along with whatever they were doing. I know it's not true, but I felt that way for a while." She shook her head as if trying to knock the thought out of her hand. "And knowing that there was someone in this city we're moving to trying to flood the Earth…" she trailed off for a moment before speaking again, "nothing comes between me and my family."

"Somehow they knew we were going to move here; they knew I was rightfully in line as a Samurai Ranger." She looked over at Mika, "Why not you, I don't understand as you were first born, but I always took my Ranger duties seriously, despite my powers. But, when Jayden came I felt like I knew this was going to happen. Jaeger explained to me that once my destiny was fulfilled, he'd leave, I wouldn't need him anymore, and I would know when that would happen." She raked her fingers through her hair. "When I walked away from being a Ranger, I was so selfish. I didn't want to join TJ, and Ashley and them, because they weren't my team. They weren't my friends. I feel like I've been given a second chance to really do what I was meant to…no matter how scary it is."

Mike slowly nodded his head as he let the words sink in. "I get it," he commented, "you fight to give other people a chance at living a happy life." He gave a brief smile. "I've always said that your best attribute was that you always put others before yourself, even when you need to think about yourself. It's not fair to dad, or us, I'll agree, but we always knew this about her."

"That's bullshit," Liam snapped, earning shocked looks from everyone. "I'm sorry, but you're using being a Ranger as an excuse."

"Yes you are; you're using it as an excuse to distance yourself from people, whether or not you tell them the truth," Liam said, his voice cracking, "and now you're using it as an excuse to stop yourself from being happy."

"You're jumping the gun a little here -"

"What," Liam interrupted, "We don't make you happy? Being a family, a family you always wanted, and we always wanted, doesn't make you happy?" Everybody stared at him. "It's not fair! Three years being together and then having you shipped off isn't fair! That's why you said you'd take college courses online; so you could be here and help dad out, and so we could really learn to have our family be whole again. Your Ranger duties just got in the way."

"You don't get it," Melody said with a shake of her head, "There are things you just won't understand when it comes to being a Ranger."

"I don't get it?" Liam faced her with wide eyes, his hands crossed tightly over his chest. "Mel, I'm your brother, I'm always worrying about you. Don't say I don't get it." He licked his lips. "I'm worried you won't ever come back, like mom…like, maybe, dad."

"Hey," Melody said in a firm tone and Liam looked over at him. "The doctors say that since they caught dad's cancer early, they're positive he'll beat it." She placed a hand on his knee, gently squeezing it. "Besides, I thought you were at that age where you never showed you actually care about your sister." Liam's lips twitched into a brief smile at her joke. "Why do you think I got kicked off the team? I couldn't stay away from you guys. I don't know how, but in these past few years, you knuckle heads have really grown on me. You're my brothers; of course I'm going to fight to get back to you guys."

"You're getting a little too sentimental for my liking, Jerk-Face," Skylar commented, pulling at the skin on his lip. He gave her a teasing smile and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I joined the Rangers so you guys—" Melody turned towards Liam, raking her fingers through his hair "—especially you, Munchkin, have a safe place to be while dad's recovering. And, it's a way to prove to myself that I can conquer my powers, no matter how fast they're mutating, and use them for good. Not only that, but I can't just live in the past; I can't keep dwelling on things I can't change. But, I can change this; I can stop Xandred from flooding the Earth."

"Nice speech," Skylar said with a roll of his eyes.

"Shut up, Weasel," Melody snapped. Her expression then softened. "And let's be honest here, being a super hero is pretty badass." Her brothers then started laughing. "I hate being cut off from you guys, please know that."

"We know," Braiden said with a nod. "We hate being cut off from you, especially after all the years we didn't know where you were."

"It's just…even when everything was going wrong for you, you didn't show us that it was bothering you, or rather, you tried not to," Liam said with a heavy sigh. "We've all showed that we were worried about dad. You could always get us to smile or laugh, even when we felt like it was something we shouldn't do for the short time you were here. I just…kinda, felt like you abandoned us. We just moved here and then you left."

"I'm so sorry I made you guys feel that way," Melody said with a heavy sigh.

"I was fine," Skylar said, waving his hand in the air. Melody gave him a pointed look and he shrugged. "So are we done? Can we go surf now?" He jumped to his feet, stretching his arms over his head. "Are we all done with this heart to heart?" He then pretended to shiver. "God, I feel myself getting sensitive. Like…like Braiden."

Braiden gave a brief smile but didn't say anything. He punched his twin on the shoulder before getting to his feet. "Yeah, let's go."

"Glad we had this little talk," Mika said with a roll of his eyes, getting to his feet. "Despite the situation, I'm glad you're home, sis." He put his hands on his hips. "I know you wanted a new start in Panorama, which, you in essence kind of are, I feel like you need to go back to the Shiba House and apologize to Jayden. Being a Ranger is who you are and what you're meant to be doing." He then put his hand up as Melody opened her mouth to protest. "You don't have to answer now, let's just go catch some waves."

"I call shotgun," Liam shouted, getting to his feet on the couch. As Melody led the way out the door, Liam jumped off the arm of the couch, and slammed into her back. He wrapped his arms around her neck as Melody stopped walking and looped her arms around her legs, shifting his weight on her back as she gave him a piggy back ride.

"Glad to know what your guys' priorities are, today," Melody said with a roll of her eyes.

"Uh, duh, surfing tops, like, _everything_," Skylar said in a high pitched voice. He then snapped for effect, causing his siblings to laugh.

* * *

Melody glided across the sidewalk on her skateboard. Her hair was out of its usual ponytail and was wet and stringy, drying in the sun after their surfing session. She hadn't surfed in so long, that she was kind of rusty at it to begin with, but she was soon catching every wave that she could. She never noticed how much her Samurai training had actually helped, but she didn't get tired as fast when she was paddling out, and she had better endurance in comparison to before she started.

She frowned as she quickly maneuvered her way out of a kid who ran into her path, chasing after a ball. That was the first time she had thought about Samurai training that day. She wondered what they were doing at that point, and wondered if they had gotten rid of Terrorem. She checked the news on TV and in the newspaper for any updates, but tried not to dwell on it.

She tightly gripped the plastic bag of developed pictures, and the strap to her camera in one hand, as she flew around the corner, her bare right foot briefly coming in contact with the hot ground as she pushed herself forward. As she passed a café, she was nearly pulled off her board, when a hand reached out and grabbed her bag strap.

"What the—?" Melody twisted to stop herself from falling off her board, dropping to her knees on the ground. She set her bags and camera down, quickly checking to make sure everything was ok.

"And here I always thought cats were supposed to land on their feet," a familiar voice reached her ears which was quickly followed up by an even more familiar giggle.

Melody's eyes widened as she got to her feet and stared at Kimberly Hart, who smiled back at her. She then opened her mouth and let out a very un-Melody like shriek before she threw her arms around her friend in a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Mika called," Kimberly replied, brushing her hair behind her ears, "he said that you were pretty down about what happened recently."

"Why am I not surprised that he told you?" Melody asked, smiling.

"I'm glad he did," Kimberly said, gently shoving her shoulder. "I haven't heard from you in _ages_. Anyway, Mika said you needed some cheering up so we took the trip down here."

"We?" Melody repeated, looking around, she grinned when she spotted Adam Park coming out of the café, making his way towards them. "Oh my god, Adam!" She threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Adam laughed as he stumbled back a few steps, hugging her back. "Sorry, I'm wet; I just came back from surfing."

"That's alright," Adam replied, with a warm smile. "You look great."

"So do you guys," Melody said with a grin, looking them up and down. She reached her hand up and lightly touched his hair. "You cut your hair! _Finally_." Adam chuckled as she turned towards Kimberly. "And you grew your hair out." She then blinked, waving her hands in the air. "Sorry! I was on my way home—"

"No you're not," Adam said with a grin, "we're kidnapping you for the rest of the day."

"Makes sense since Kim nearly gave me a heart attack," Melody said, rolling her eyes at her friend, who shrugged. "I can't believe you guys are actually here."

"Rocky would've come too, but he had a last minute class to teach today," Adam said.

"And Jase, too, but he has to study for an exam for tomorrow," Kimberly added, waving her hands in a 'ta-da' kind of way, "and this was a spur of the moment kind of thing." She then clapped her hands together. "So, let's sit and catch up. I want to hear everything that's happened." She practically dragged Melody into the seating area of the café.

"Don't worry, I'll get her bags," Adam called sarcastically after them before grabbing Melody's abandoned bags and skateboard, following them to an empty table. "Whatcha been up to?" he asked.

"Nothing really," Melody replied with a shrug, giving Adam a smile of thanks as he set her stuff down by the table. "Just been hanging out at home; helping out around home."

"How's your dad doing?" Kimberly asked, giving her friend a curious look.

"He's good," Melody replied as a waiter came over, "he's been pretty tired lately. He's lost some of his hair, and he's lost some weight, but he's doing good." The three of them ordered a drink and an order of cheese fries and sliders.

"And how are _you_ doing?" Adam pressed. He gave her a confused look as he unfolded his napkin, placing it in his lap. He then folded his hands on the table. He looked around before lowering his voice. "I never thought you'd ever get kicked off a Ranger team." Kimberly silently nodded in agreement.

Melody shifted. "Jayden kicked me off the team," she replied, "A: because I kept seeing my friends and family despite it being against the rules of the house." She quickly noticed their confused looks. "It's to keep them safe and B: I got so frustrated that he wouldn't let me go for a few days, that I snapped and pretty much told him that he could go fuck himself because he has no family."

She then quickly launched into an explanation as to what happened when she first moved to Panorama, when she went to the Shiba House, the Black Box, and what had happened recently with the Nighlok Terrorem, before she was kicked off the team. At this point, their drinks and their food arrived (the three friends made sure to quickly change the subject whenever the waiter, or anyone, came near their table).

"And I couldn't even go back to apologize even if I wanted to," Melody said as she chewed on the end of a French fry.

"Why?" Adam asked.

"You didn't see how mad he was," Melody commented with a shake of her head. "I mean, I get it, I really do, I didn't think before I spoke and now I'm paying for it." She waved her hand in the air. "But, I..." she shoved the fry in her mouth. "It doesn't matter."

Kimberly frowned, putting her arm around Melody's shoulders. "I'm sorry." Kimberly rubbed Melody's shoulder. "I'm sure he'd listen if you went back and asked to speak to him."

"Yeah, I mean, from what I understand, you both said things you didn't mean," Adam commented, wiping his fingers on his napkin. "It's better to clear these things up than to let it drag on." He then cleared his throat. "Like the time Rocky got mad at you because you didn't tell him that—"

"I'd rather not think about that ever again if it's all the same to you," Melody said in a monotone, putting her hand up, signaling to Adam to stop talking.

"Sorry," Adam replied with a sheepish grin. "But, you saw how that all snowballed and turned out. Just go back and apologize."

"He didn't even give me a chance to apologize as soon as I said it," Melody pointed out to him, "What makes you think he'll listen now?"

"Because he's your leader," Kimberly pointed out, shaking some pepper onto her portion of the fries. She then cringed, giving Melody and apologetic look and said, ""Maybe... maybe if you weren't so reckless..."

"I'm not reckless!" Melody cried, her eyes widening in shock. Adam gave her a pointed look. "I'm _not_. I just don't think." The two of them couldn't help but laugh.

"Look, you were both in the wrong, but one of you have to step up and try and make things right," Kimberly said as her laughter died down. "I think that should be you."

"Mhm," Adam agreed before taking a large bite out of his slider.

Melody sighed in annoyance. "It's not my fault. All this stupid shit keeps happening to me." Kimberly snorted. "Fine; it's my fault." Kimberly arched an eyebrow. "_Fine_, I'll apologize first."

"We're just trying to help," Adam said, his cheek bulging as he moved the food in his mouth to the side so he could eat.

"I know," Melody replied, a smile coming to her face, "and thanks. I really appreciate you coming down here on such short notice."

"You know I can't stand hearing about my friends upset and crying," Kimberly said.

"I wasn't cry_ing_," Melody shot back. "I _cried_. There's a difference." She then rolled back her shoulders. "Please! I've got a reputation to uphold." Adam rolled his eyes.

"So, did you just get some pictures developed?" Kimberly asked, gently kicking the bag at her feet. "Can I see?"

"Sure," Melody replied, reaching for her cup of soda. "You should see the surfing shots. Best ones I've taken so far." As Kimberly flipped through the pictures, passing them over to Adam after she looked at them, Melody explained who the new Rangers were as they showed up in pictures.

"Who's this?" Kimberly asked, angling a picture towards her.

Melody merely glanced over the picture, "Oh, that's Jayden; Red Ranger. Can't hold a candle to Jason or Tommy, but he's been training since he was a kid, so…"

"He seems kinda…reserved," Kimberly commented, motioning to the small smile on Jayden's face in the picture.

"Like I said, he's been training since he was a kid," Melody replied before taking a sip of her soda. "He hasn't really had a life outside the Samurai lifestyle, y'know? He's kinda old-fashioned."

"What do you mean?" Kimberly asked, starting to flip through the pictures again.

"He's really nice," Melody replied. "When we're out of the house and he's talking to someone, he' calls them 'sir' or 'ma'am', and if he's already in the kitchen for dinner or whatever, he stands until Mia, Emily, and I are all seated. So different from all the other guys I've ever known." She used her shoulder to brush her hair behind her ears and added, "He was way more quiet before; always wanting to do stuff by himself. I don't think he really learned how to be a team leader until now. But, he's opened up; he cracks jokes every now and then and he's smiled more often." There was a pause and she added, "He has a nice smile."

Kimberly's eyes widened. "You're attracted to the guy." She put her hand up, stopping Melody from denying it. "It's written all over your face." She sat watching as Melody thought about it. "I don't blame you; he's gorgeous."

"And that's my cue to leave," Adam commented, clearing his throat. "I'll pay inside. Do you girls want me to wait?"

"We're staying at your place," Kimberly explained to Melody before turning back toward her friend. "You can go. We'll catch you later. We need some time for girl talk after all."

"I'll give you guys a tour of the city later," Melody promised. "Thanks, Adam."

"No problem," Adam replied, practically speed walking away as Melody and Kimberly started to laugh.

"I think he's cute, that's all," Melody said once Adam was gone, nodding at Kimberly, "Besides, I have more important things to worry about."

"What is it with you and Red Rangers?" Kimberly asked, shaking her head, seeming to ignore what her friend had just said.

"Is it a rule or something that all Red Rangers have to be extremely good looking?" Melody said as more of a rhetorical question, causing Kimberly to start laughing again. "I just said he's cute, not that I want to date him." Then she sighed. "Anyway, something's…off about him. I can't put my finger on it."

"Ok, what happened?" Kimberly asked, setting down her glass of tea after taking a long sip. Melody gave her an odd look. "I know something happened between you guys. You can either tell it to me now or I can just keep bugging you about it." Melody gave a small grin and Kimberly let out a loud gasp. "Nuh-uh!"

"'Nuh-uh', what?" Melody asked, moving to take a sip of her soda.

"You guys kissed," Kimberly cried and Melody's eyes narrowed slightly as she sat back in her seat.

"No, we didn't," she replied. "But, it _still _creeps me out how you can tell I'm hiding something."

"Hey, I've had years of practice." Kimberly laughed, slapping her hand down on the table. "It's the way you hold yourself. So, what happened?"

"Uhhh," Melody stalled, feeling herself blush. "You see, what had happened was…ok. So there was this Nighlok; Gryphonator—"

"Hmm, seems to me like even nowadays, villains don't give their monsters creative names," Kimberly commented, crossing one leg over the other. "Sorry, I interrupted, go ahead."

"Well, one of his attacks made Jayden and I lose our memories, mine more so than his," Melody replied, leaning back in her chair. "So anyway, Jaeger was trying to get—"

"How is Jaeger, anyway?" Kimberly asked, interrupting Melody again. Melody mock-glared at her as she was interrupted a second time. Kimberly put her hands up defensively before motioning for her to continue. "Sorry."

"Anyway, Jaeger was showing me the video that Tommy sent to all of us; about the history of the Power Rangers, and I was trying to remember everybody, but I couldn't," Melody explained, picking at her uneaten food. "I got upset, so I wanted to hide out in the bathroom and Jayden was coming out after taking his shower after training and—"

"You saw him naked?" Kimberly gasped, her eyes widening.

"On accident," Melody corrected her, feeling herself blush again, "not on purpose. I kinda ran into him and his towel fell."

Kimberly slowly nodded. "Was he big?"

"_Kim!" _Melody cried, giving her friend a look that was half amusement and half shock. "I don't know. I wasn't _looking _at it." Kimberly silently raised an eyebrow. "Ok, maybe for a second."

"Geeze, you really don't waste a second." Her lips curled into a smirk before giving her friend a warm smile."You really have changed, Mel. It's a good thing to see."

"Yeah," Melody agreed with a sigh. "Wish Trini would've been able to see that though." Kimberly's smile faded slightly at the sound of her friend's name. "Did you all gather at her grave this year? Sorry, I couldn't make it. I don't know how I'd explain being gone for so long."

"Don't worry about it," Kimberly replied, waving her hand in the air. "Yeah, everyone that could be there was there. It was nice." She then peered over at her friend. "You…ok?"

"Yeah," Melody replied with a slow nod, "yeah, I am. I mean, you know what happened at the Shiba House because of Mika, but, I feel…floaty."

"Floaty?" Kimberly repeated, raising her eyebrows.

"For the first time in a while, I don't feel like I have all this weight on my shoulders," Melody explained, scrunching up her face partially. "It's a little hard to explain. I don't feel like I have to be guilty about being happy." She rested her chin in her hand. "I see Trini in my dreams. Sometimes I talk to her."

"And?" Kimberly asked.

"And…I'm good," Melody replied, giving a smile. Kimberly couldn't help but smile either. "I don't think I'll fully get over what happened, but I'm learning to accept that it did, and that I won't ever forget her. She really helped me out while she was still around so I can only thank her for that."

"If it wasn't for the both of us, you'd still be wearing boys' clothes," Kimberly replied, deadpan. She brushed her hair behind her ears and uncrossed her legs, crossing them the other way as Melody let out a loud "Hey!"Kimberly waved her hand in the air. "You know it's true."

Melody was going to respond when there was the sound of a distant explosion, shortly followed by the ground and table shaking underneath their feet and hands. Melody instantly jumped to her feet, looking around, while Kimberly stayed seated, staring at her. Slowly, Melody sat back down in her seat.

"Yeah, I was the exact same way for a little while," Kimberly said, spotting the frown on Melody's face. "You're clearly meant to be a Power Ranger for as long as you can be. I think what you did was pretty stupid."

"I was frustrated," Melody protested.

"And when you're frustrated, you don't think," Kimberly agreed, giving her friend a look of understanding. "Jayden doesn't know about your dad, so I can see why you'd be annoyed. But, you can't blame him for that."

"Trust me, I know," Melody replied with a heavy sigh. "And I know what I said was a low blow, but I couldn't stop myself from saying it. I've told Mike, the Green Ranger, after a little while about my dad only because I know he wouldn't be like other people and give me false hope and sympathy; he's always that straight up with me." She gave a one-shoulder shrug. "If Billy were here, I'd tell him. I mean, he went through the same thing with his mom, only when he was younger."

"I miss Billy," Kimberly said simply and Melody agreed, the two of them falling into comfortable silence. Kimberly then slapped her hand down on the table. "Come on, let's get going. I don't want Adam to get bored in the hotel all by himself."

"Good idea," Melody replied, looking at her watch as she got to her feet. "I have to work later on tonight, but bring Adam down to my dad's place after I'm done and we can hang out."

"Let me at least help you with your stuff," Kimberly offered, nodding towards Melody's backpack, skateboard, and bags sitting underneath the table."

"Kim, what would I do without you?" Melody asked as she placed her foot on her skateboard.

"Oh, I have a whole list of things," Kimberly replied with a smirk.

* * *

Mike was mad. No, mad didn't actually cover it. He was _pissed_. He saw how upset Melody was when Jayden was yelling at her. He had never seen the Red Ranger lose his temper like that. As well, he had never seen Melody lose her composure either. But, he could understand her frustrations. Emily was going through them too, but she wasn't as vocal about them. He thought what Jayden had done was really harsh, but he couldn't deny what Melody had done wasn't a low blow.

Even _he _wasn't that stupid to yell in his leader's face that he didn't have any family, especially when Ji had opened his arms to have them stay in the house. _Especially_, because they all wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been for Jayden's dad. But, what surprised Mike the most, was how Jayden seemed to take what she had said extremely personally. Standing near her, Mike knew that she was sorry for the words coming out of her mouth in the first place.

No matter what he said, it wasn't going to help at all. He got yelled at from Mentor for a pretty long time and he felt worse than he had when he practically attacked Mentor with his own symbol power. He wasn't allowed out of the house whenever the Rangers went to do something fun. Instead, he had to stay home and practice his symbol power and his kanji; the one thing he extremely hated spending time doing. He also had to help everybody else with their chores as well as do his own. He was already tired of doing the dishes and the bathroom, and only got a little bit of a comfort knowing that Kevin always kept his side of the room clean, so he barely had to do anything to it.

Mike ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he watched the GAME OVER sign flash on the TV screen in front of him. He wasn't concentrating on anything. Not training, not when he was practicing his symbol power, not even when he was eating. And Kevin had basically given him plenty of opportunities to insult him but he didn't take it. But, everyone knew why. It was because Melody wasn't there. Jayden had given them strict orders not to go looking for her; that they had to keep their minds on the mission. That was all that mattered.

_What the hell was he thinking_? Mike thought with a frown as he restarted the game for the fifth time. _Of course no one's going to be gung ho about our mission_. But, Mike understood why. Their last fights, they barely scraped by a win. Their rhythm was just off. _It's like a part of us is gone. Like when Jayden left, we had to do everything under a new leader. We had to adjust. _

Mike blinked when Emily switched off the game console. Mike stared at the snow screen for a moment before looking at her. "There had better be a damn good reason why you just did that," he said, his voice void of any emotion. He wasn't actually mad at her; he could never be mad at her. But, he was curious as to why she did that.

"It's a beautiful day," Emily replied, moving to sit beside him on the couch. She curled her legs underneath him. "Mentor gave us the rest of the day of. I didn't want you to miss it."

"I heard you playing the flute," Mike said, changing the subject. "It sounded great." He peered at her for a moment. "How would you have handled wanting to go home for a while."

"I wouldn't," Emily replied with a shake of her head. "I understand that I have to be here. I'll be able to go home some day." She frowned. "I get why Melody did that though; it must be hard knowing your family is in the same city and you can't see them."

"That's just it, though," Mike said, prodding Emily's knee with his index finger. "She's been a Ranger before, but she never had that rule. She was in High School, a time where family is so important. We grew up knowing this was going to happen."

"That's true," Emily replied with a nod.

"Which is why I think we should find her and convince her to come back," Mike commented.

"What?" Emily asked, his eyes popping open. "You heard what Jayden said."

"So, you're not going to help?" Mike frowned.

"Of course I'll help," Emily replied, shaking her head back and forth. "I miss Mel, too. I just think you've lost your mind."

"One would argue that I'd have to have a mind to lose it," Mike commented with a small laugh. But, Emily wasn't laughing.

"You're smart, Mike," she said, placing a hand on his knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. Mike looked down at her hand and then up into her brown eyes. "Don't let anyone tell you different. I hate hearing you talking badly about yourself."

Mike placed his hand on top of hers, "just like I hated hearing _you _talking badly about _your_self when Negatron, the trash talking Nighlok, was around." He gave her hand a squeeze before removing his own. He then made a face. "We're going to need Kevin and Mia's help, too."

"Why not Antonio?" Emily asked, her eyebrows knitting together as she pulled her hand back, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Because, he'll crack and tell Jayden what we're doing the minute Mentor looks at him sideways," Mike said with a roll of his eyes. "Come on."

The two of them went looking for the Pink and Blue Ranger, finding them in their respective rooms. Emily got Mia to go into Kevin's room, closing the door behind then as Mike thought about what he was going to say. Once he was sure he had their attention (and wouldn't get an annoyed remark from Kevin) did he got into his explanation and plan as to why they were going to try and get Melody back on the team. Once he had finished explaining, Kevin and Mia just stared at him.

"Well?" Mike asked impatiently.

"Well, what?" Kevin replied.

"Are you going to help or not?" Emily asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Come on guys, I think we can_ all_ agree that we need Mel back." Mia nodded, but Kevin stayed silent, chewing on his bottom lip.

"I'm in," Kevin said after a moment of silence. "Mel and I may have but heads, but I've gotta commend her for not being afraid to disagree with you." He paused and then said, "Plus, I need someone to give me some sort of challenge when we spar and only she can do that." Mia frowned, smacking him on the shoulder. "Of course Mia puts up a great fight and I can't blame her for that."

"Thank you," Mia said with a small laugh. "Admit it, Kev, you miss her being around. You've gotten used to, and dare I say, enjoy arguing with her."

"Yeah, yeah," Kevin said with a shake of his head. "But, let's be honest here; there's no way we could finish this mission without her. She cares about Jayden just as much as we do and we need all the power we can get to protect him." Mia placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze, showing how proud she was. Kevin couldn't help but smile back at her. "Thanks, Mia."

"It's what I'm here for, Kev," Mia replied before clasping her hands together. "So, let's get this show on the road. How are we going to convince Jayden to let us out?"

"Leave that to me," Mike said, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "I'll think of something. I'll come tell you once I have an idea." He went to leave the room, but stopped turning back around. "And don't mention this to Jaeger either."

"Poor guy, he's been moping around for days," Emily said with a shake of her head. "He tries not to show it though, I'll give him that."

"Why can't we tell him?" Mia asked.

"We might get his hopes up," Kevin replied and Mike put a finger to his nose, showing that Kevin was right.

"See, Kev, you're not always narrow minded," Mike said with a grin. "Welcome to the dark side." Kevin gave Mike a shocked look before grabbing his pillow, throwing it at the Green Ranger, hitting him in the face. Everyone laughed a little bit.

"Good, I've got everyone feeling normal for a little bit," Mike said with a sigh, hugging the pillow to his chest. "I'll be back with a plan." He and Emily then left the room.

"You've gone all quiet," Mia commented, turning towards Kevin.

"What?" Kevin asked.

"What's up?" Mia asked, resting her elbows on her knees as she sat cross legged on his bed. "You've been a million miles away lately. Everything ok?"

"Yeah, it's just…I've been frustrated with the family rule for a while now," Kevin replied. "I really miss being home. I don't think I'd do what she did, but, I'm a little jealous that she gets to go home for a while."

"Yeah, me too," Mia agreed letting out a heavy sigh. "It'd be great to go home for a little while. But, I understand that I'm needed here too. Mel just needed to clear her head. I understand why she got frustrated. I don't condone it, but I understand it."

"We all need to clear our heads and refocus," Kevin said, with a brief shake of his head, as if he was trying to physically regain focus on what was important in that moment.

"Everything will be fine, don't worry," Mia said, moving forward to give him a hug. "I admire your confidence, Kev. It always calms me down whenever I'm worried about things." She then surprised him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before getting up to leave the room. Kevin's lips twitched into a brief smile, touching the spot that her lips had just been.

..

.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Emily asked, stepping closer to Mike as a burley man walked past them on the sidewalk.

Mike put his arm around her shoulders, guiding her out of the way. They stepped in front of a restaurant, staring at the front of the building. There were a few people sitting at tables outside, talking quietly amongst each other. There were little glass jars with candles in them, giving them some extra light as the sun went down.

"Not entirely positive," Mike admitted, looking around. "I barely remember the name of the place, but I'm pretty sure this is it. Mel mentioned it to me once on a pizza run, but I was barely listening."

"Well, _duh_," Emily said with a giggle, leaning into his side, as the door to the restaurant swung open and a large group of people made their way outside, "nothing gets between you and pizza." Mike grinned at her commented, turning to face her, realizing how close they were. Emily then quickly took a step away from him. "Sorry."

"No, that's ok," Mike replied. He scratched the back of his head. "We should at least check. I mean, if this is not the place, we can ask the people inside."

"Good idea," Emily replied, making her way to the front door. Mike hurried in front of her, grabbing the door handle, puling the door open for her. "Thanks."

"My pleasure," Mike replied with a nod. He walked in behind her, his stomach growling loudly as the smell of steak reached his nose. "This place smells amazing." Emily gave a distracted reply, looking around.

"Um, excuse me," she called, gently grabbing the elbow of a woman who was walking by. "Hi, sorry, I was just wondering if you could tell me if Melody Porter works here?"

"The owner's daughter?" the woman asked, raising her eyebrows. "You're just in luck. Her shift ends in an hour, but her section has some seats free." She walked up to the hostess stand and handed them two menus. "Take a seat; I'll tell her some of her friend are here."

"Thank you," Emily replied with a bright smile. "Let's go, Mike."

"Dude! They have an _arcade_ here," Mike cried. "At least let me take a look at what games they have before we leave, ok?"

"Mike, we're here for a reason," Emily pointed out, grabbing his wrist, pulling him over to a booth in the area the woman indicated. "Come on, we have to get Mel to come back." The two of them had barely sat themselves down and took off their coats when a boy walked up to them.

"Hey, I'm Mika," the boy said, giving a small wave. "Robin said you were here to see Mel. I'm her twin brother." He looked Mike and Emily over before lowering his voice. "You're Mike and Emily right? Green and yellow?"

"That's us," Mike replied with a nod.

"How'd you know?" Emily asked.

"Pictures," Mika replied and the two of them exchanged glances, "she's talked about you guys a lot whenever she's seen us." He looked around, licking his lips. "I understand that what she did wasn't right, but you have to understand she had good intentions for it. She hates being caught in the middle of things."

"Mike's explained it to me," Emily said, and Mike nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry about your dad."

"Thank you," Mika replied shortly. "I'll go get Mel." He was barely gone for five minutes before Melody walked over to them. Mike couldn't tell if she was happy or shocked to see them.

"Explain," she said as soon as she reached their sides.

"We heard that this place has some great food," Mike said with a smile. Melody's lips twitched into a brief smile and she shook her head. He felt himself relax instantly.

"Nice try," she commented, resting her arm on the back of the booth behind Emily, putting her other hand on her hip. Mike saw that she was holding a notepad and a pen. He was going to make this quick. He didn't want her to get in trouble in two places. "Don't think you're going to get out of explaining yourself that easily."

"What do you want? A play by play?" Mike asked with a grin and Melody laughed out loud at that point. Mike exchanged smiles with Emily, but he tried not to get his hopes up too much. A laugh didn't mean anything 100%. He knew from experience that Melody was a good liar. "For starters." He didn't even know where to begin, but he tried to explain everything that was going on at the house to the best of his ability. The whole time, Melody nodded every now and then, but didn't give any other form of response. "That's pretty much the gist of it."

"I appreciate you coming down here guys, but—"

"So what do we do then? Grovel?" Emily asked, clasping her hands together, widening her eyes.

"I'm not very good at groveling," Mike commented, his upper lip curling. Emily ignored him.

"Um…have you guys defeated that Nighlok?" Melody asked, tapping her notepad with her pen. "Terrorem?"

"No," Emily replied with a shake of her head, putting her hands down on the table. Her finger nails made clacking noises against the top of the table as she started drumming her fingers on it. "He hasn't appeared since you left." She chewed on her bottom lip and Melody slowly nodded. "We think he's solely targeting you."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Melody said with a shrug.

Mike let out a growl of frustration. "Look, Mel, we need you to come back," Mike said getting straight to the point. "We've defeated all the Nighlok, sure, but it wasn't as easy without you there."

"And Jaeger's been off his game as well," Emily added, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. "We all have been. Even Mike wasn't really focused today during training."

"When is he ever?" Melody asked. Mike just shrugged as Emily started to laugh.

"That's true," she agreed, her laughter subsiding a little bit. "We think if you just apologized to Jayden, everything would be ok. I mean, you both did say things that made you upset—"

"I'm not upset," Melody replied shortly. "Seriously."

"Dude, you were practically _crying _when he told you to get out," Mike replied. He then let out a loud yelp as Emily swung her foot forward, kicking him in the leg. "I mean…_owwww_."

"Guys, I accept the consequences of my actions," Melody said, placing her hands on their table. "But, I'm not upset about what happened. Being a screw up all your life (consider me the Pacey in this equation)…you end up kind of expecting stuff like this and not dwelling on it." Emily raised her eyebrows in a look of disbelief. "I know you don't believe me, but I'm telling the truth.

"Excuse me, Miss?" an older man called to her, waving his hand in the air. "How long do you think the Cherries Jubilee will-"

"I already told you _twice_ that it'll take a little longer due to your request of which alcoholic beverages to which you wanted _on_ the Cherries Jubilee," Melody all but snapped at the man. "However, I assure you, that they are currently working on it." The man slowly lowered his hand back down as Mika walked by, carrying a black tub of dishes under his arm.

"Consider all your desserts on the house," Mika commented, rubbing at his forehead with his free hand, shooting his sister an annoyed look. "I deeply apologize for my sister's behavior tonight." He briefly looked over at the three Rangers. "Bad break up."

"Oh," the man said with a nod. "I'm sorry, miss."

"Thanks," Melody muttered as Mika walked over to them.

"You owe me," Mika commented before handing the tub of dirty dishes to her. She opened her mouth in protest before closing it. Mika smiled, patted her shoulder, and walked off.

"I hate doing dishes." Melody turned back towards Mike and Emily. "See?" she asked with a smile. "I'm not upset."

Mike snorted. "Could've fooled me," Emily said with a small laugh. "Mel, this is _us _you're talking to." She exchanged glances with Mike. "The house isn't the same without you there. Even Kevin said he's starting to miss your quick wips."

Melody's lips twitched into a brief smile before it faded. "Even if that's true—"

"Which it is," Mike quickly interjected, "and you know he'd never actually admit it out loud if you were around."

Melody stayed silent for a moment, taking in a deep breath. "Look…I don't think he'd answer the door if I went over," she muttered. "Ask him to meet me at the park?" Mike and Emily exchanged excited looks. "At the fountain tomorrow evening? It would be earlier, but we have to serve at this wedding reception."

"Yeah, no problem," Emily replied with a grin. "We'll make sure he goes."

"If he doesn't—"

"He will," Mike said, with a reassuring smile. "We'll make sure he does. He misses you around the house too, but you know he'd _never_ admit to that. Not like Antonio." Melody couldn't help but laugh along with them.

"Sill, if he doesn't show up, I'll understand why," Melody finished, her smile fading slightly. "I have to get back to work, but it was great seeing you guys." She gave them a peaceful smile. "Really."

"Wait right here," Mike said to Emily, getting out of the booth. He hurried after Melody, grabbing her arm. "Wait a sec."

"So, are you guys here on a date or something?" Melody asked, pushing her pen into her hair, crossing her arms over her chest.

"A date?" Mike repeated, his eyes widening slightly. "_Us_? No. No, we're…not." Melody gave him a weird look as he laughed a little bit. "No." She peered curiously at him. "Well, we kinda said that we'd bring back dinner, so."

Melody let out a loud bark of laughter. "No problem, dude," Melody said, shaking her head. "Just put in your order with Mika and I'll be sure it gets put into take out carriers." Mike smiled his thanks. "Jayden doesn't know you're here, does he?"

"Yeah, right," Mike said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm sneakier than that! Besides, he's all about 'the mission' nowadays with Kevin. He's barely stopped training."

"Nah, he just does that to let out his frustrations," Melody replied with a wave of her hand. Mike arched an eyebrow. "I like to people watch. I pay attention to people's mannerisms."

"Really?" Mike asked. "What's mine?"

"You generally act like an idiot anytime someone mentions you liking Emily," Melody instantly shot back and Mike blushed. "Although, that could simply just be because you're a guy." She gave him a teasing grin. "You seemed pretty cozy in that booth."

"Ha ha," Mike said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm sorry about everything that's happened. Really."

"Me too," Melody replied with a nod. "Hurry and get your order in, I don't want you getting in even more trouble because of me."

"Some would argue that I'm an even bigger trouble maker," Mike said, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. He chuckled. "I'll be sure to talk to Jayden. I'll do my best to get him out there."

"That's all I ask."

* * *

**A/N: **For everyone waiting for the chapters to get back to dealing with the actual episodes in them; it starts in the next chapter with scenes from _The Bullzord_. Keep in mind that I do have original plot lines to go with this fic. If I didn't, I'd feel like all I was doing was just inserting an OC into the episodes.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	23. Chapter 23: Cody Arrives

**.:Chapter Twenty-Three – Cody Arrives:.**

* * *

"Uh, Mike," Emily said as she shifted a bag of food from one hand into the other, "we have a problem."

"What's that?" Mike asked.

"Well, we told Mel that we'd see if we could get Jayden to meet her at the park tomorrow to talk," Emily slowly replied, "but Jayden doesn't even know that we went to see her. So, how are we going to tell him without getting in trouble?"

"There's an easy answer to that," Mike replied, making a popping sound with his lips, "I didn't think that far ahead." Emily stopped walking, giving him an annoyed look. "Let's be honest here, would it really be normal for to have had thought that far in advance?"

"What do we do now?" Emily asked with a sigh, "I mean, we're already risking Jayden flying off the handle if he finds out we went to find Mel. We can either go back and tell her the truth, or go and see if we can talk to Jayden anyway."

"Maybe…maybe we don't tell him that it was us," Mike said as he pulled the car keys to the Shiba Family car out of his pocket, as they neared the black vehicle.

"I'm not following," Emily replied with a shake of her head.

"You've seen what Jaeger's been like lately," Mike replied, "a black ball of depressed fur. If we told Jayden that Jaeger was the one that went to talk with Mel, maybe he'd believe her."

"You want to throw him under the bus?" Emily yelped, her eyes widening. "I can't believe you'd suggest that."

"Knowing Jaeger, he'd bounce back with eight more lives," Mike said with a grin. Emily's eyes narrowed. "I'm trying to make you laugh."

"I'm not really in a laughing mood," Emily replied as Mike unlocked the doors to the car. He then took the bag of food from Emily as she climbed into the passenger seat.

Worry wasn't anything new for Emily. She had experienced it all through elementary and through high school; scared that some bullies in her school would corner her the instant she said or did the wrong thing. And it increased tenfold when she found out about Serena's illness.

"Are you ok?"

Emily blinked, looking over at Mike. She didn't notice when he got into the car. She shook her head. "We did something stupid. We went behind our leader's back—"

"To get a friend back," Mike interrupted her. "We need Mel; that's the bottom line. And he knows it, too." He let out a heavy sigh. "I can't say that I'm wasn't relieved when I got my punishment. But, I feel like I got off the hook just because I didn't leave." He was silent for a moment. "_I _did something stupid."

"I think what you did for Mel was great and it showed your loyalty to her," Emily said with a heavy sigh, raking her fingers through her hair. "I get why Jayden's mad, I just wish he would talk to us. I mean, we're not just his teammates, we're his friends."

"Yeah, what Mel said to him must've really hurt him," Mike agreed with a heavy sigh. "You think we're doing the right thing? Trying to force them to talk?"

"Mel seemed to really feel bad about what she said to him," Emily pointed out to him. "I bet, that this isn't as bas we think. I mean, we're just used to having everybody around. It's weird; I mean…one person's gone and it feels like the house is empty." She ran her hands over her face, suddenly feeling tired. "And it's not like I'm condoning what Mel did, it was pretty low and unfair, but I wouldn't have kicked her off the team for it."

"I hate to bring up bad memories, but she _did_ put us in danger that one time she went after her friends when the Armadeevil was around," Mike pointed out. Emily gave him an odd look. "I just…I understand both sides, I guess. It's hard not to pick one side and go with it. I'm pissed that Jayden made a rash decision like that, and I'm pissed that Mel kept seeing her family when I can't." He then let out a bitter laugh. "Not that I'd want to see my dad anyway."

"You don't miss him?" Emily asked.

"I do, but, we aren't really each other's favorite person if you know what I mean," Mike replied, resting an arm on the steering wheel. He was silent for a moment, staring out across the street in front of them.

"I'll admit that what she did wasn't her finest moment, but maybe she had a good reason for it?" Emily asked.

Mike was silent for a moment, chewing on his bottom lip. "Her dad has cancer," he muttered and Emily's hand flew to her mouth in a gasp. "I know. If Serena was in this city, and she was still sick, and you knew that you couldn't see her, would you do the same thing?"

"I don't know," Emily replied after a moment of silence. "I mean, it's hard knowing that Serena is at home, many miles away, trying to get better, but to have her here in the city? That would've been way too hard. But, I don't know what I'd do."

The two of them were silent for a moment. "I helped Mel out because she's one of the few people who have accepted me for who I am and never judged me for how I handle my life," Mike suddenly explained. "Not like Kevin. Both you and Mel have been great, and I want to thank you for that."

"Have you ever wondered if Kevin was jealous of you and _that's_ why he always makes those comments?" Emily asked and Mike let out a loud snort. "I'm being serious."

"Why would Kevin be jealous of me?" Mike asked.

"Because you're more outgoing, and you can make anything fun?" Emily said as more of a question. "Kevin's serious all the time; which I have respect for him for, but it's like what we've always told him, he needs to learn to lighten up a little bit."

"Thanks, Em," Mike replied.

"You're welcome," Emily replied with a warm smile.

Silence filled the car as the two of them smiled at each other. Mike loudly cleared his throat as he turned his attention to the key in the ignition. He fumbled for the keys before turning the car on. "We should get back before the others starve."

"When do you think Jayden's going to talk about what's bothering him?" Emily asked as she turned in her seat to put on her seatbelt. She pressed the cool metal of the buckle to her warm cheek.

"Knowing Jayden…never," Mike replied with a heavy sigh as he pulled away from the curb. "I'll think of a plan on the way home. But, we're still going to need Mia and Kevin's help."

* * *

"You guys didn't have to help with the reception preparations," Melody said the next day as she swung her leg over her purple and black bike, before putting on her helmet.

"Don't worry about it, it was fun," Adam replied as he clipped the straps of his helmet under his chin. He looked over at Kimberly. "Right?"

"Yeah, if you call running around like a chicken with its head cut off, fun," Kimberly grumbled, kicking up the kickstand to the bike she was standing by. "Who cuts a wedding reception short, anyway?"

"The bride and groom explained that their boat was leaving earlier than they expect," Melody replied with a grin. "I really appreciate it. I hope those bikes aren't too small for you, though."

"They're fine, don't worry," Adam replied, slapping the seat to his bike. "Let's go." He swung his leg over his borrowed bike, balanced it between his legs and started pedaling. Kimberly and Melody exchanged glances, rolling their eyes, before pedaling after him.

"So, are you going to talk to Jayden tonight?" Kimberly asked as they started biking down the sidewalk. She smiled as the warm wind rushed past her.

"If he shows up," Melody replied with a shrug, "not that I blame him if he doesn't. I know it's no excuse, but I wasn't thinking when I said those things to him."

"With all due respect," Adam said over his shoulder, "I'm surprised you're admitting that you were wrong."

Melody blinked. "Was I really that bad when I was in high school?" she asked the two of them.

"Yes," Adam and Kimberly replied in unison and the three of them started to laugh.

"But despite your lack of admitting when you're wrong, you have been and always will be a great friend and loyal to those that are truly important to you," Kimberly said as she maneuvered her bike around some spilled trash. "It's just unfortunate that you were stuck in this predicament."

"I'm stupid," Melody commented with a small frown, "to think that I could've kept that a secret for that long."

"No," Adam said with a shake of his head as he stopped pedaling, allowing the bike to glide forward. He glanced in front of him before twisting in his seat to look at his friend, "you just made a stupid mistake."

"_Adam_!" Kimberly cried, her eyes widening in shock.

"It's ok, Kim," Melody said, giving her a half smile, "I get what he means."

And she did. Melody was never truly one to think that far ahead when it came to the consequences she was given. She was always more concerned about what was happening in the moment and would react accordingly to it. It was something that others commended her for, as they were the type to worry about long term affects, but it was something more times than not that Melody hated about her self.

"So how am I supposed to fix this?" Melody asked them.

"Maybe you're not supposed to," Kimberly commented as they came to a block corner. They waited for the walking signal to flash green, and they continued forward.

"I'm not following," Melody replied.

"For as long as I've known you, you've always wanted to fix problems, whether they were your problems or not," Kimberly replied, slowing her pedaling so she was gliding beside her friend. "Maybe you just need to sit back and have Jayden fix the problem."

"Or Mike and Emily," Adam added. "They met you at your dad's place last night, right?"

"Yeah," Melody agreed before she laughed a little bit. "They would've had a field day if they ran into you guys. Mike especially." She quickly launched into an explanation about how big a fan of the original team Mike was. Kimberly and Adam both looked amused. "Oh, and you have to see Bulk and Spike while you're here."

"I still can't believe Bulk lives out here," Kimberly said with a shake of her head. "I never thought he'd leave Angel Grove."

"I never thought any of us would leave Angel Grove," Melody replied, giving her a pointed look, and Kimberly grinned. "But, we all have reasons for it. And Bulk is doing a great job looking after Spike." She laughed a little bit. "You wouldn't believe what they're doing though."

"Hmmm, maybe following the Power Rangers around?" Adam asked with a slight roll of his eyes. "I thought they gave that up when they became Junior Policemen."

"You can't fault them for being persistent," Kimberly said with a small laugh. "So, do they know about you and the Samurai Rangers?"

"Definitely not," Melody replied with a shake of her head. "But, it's been hard to not tell them. I mean, Bulk has been going on and on about his 'past experiences with the Power Rangers.' If it wasn't for Astronema actually launching that attack on Angel Grove, he would've never known that TJ and them, the ones I told you about, were Rangers. But, he hasn't put two and two together, yet."

"He might," Adam said, skidding his bike to a stop. Melody and Kimberly stopped short, making sure they didn't crash into him. "I mean…you move to Panorama City, the Rangers suddenly get a Purple Ranger, and then you're off the team and back home all the time and the Purple Ranger isn't on any of the news reports."

"Don't do that, Adam," Melody said, shaking her head back and forth. "You're freaking me out."

"I'm being realistic," Adam replied, getting off his bike to step closer to them, lowering his voice. "I mean, even the government is involved with stuff like this and I never thought in a million years that that would happen. But, it's a good thing Braiden found that out. Who knows what kind of people have been keeping tabs on us this whole time?"

"I hate to admit it, but he's got a point," Kimberly said with a sigh.

"When does he not?" Melody asked, putting a hand to her helmet covered head. "I don't even want to think about it. Spike is already pretty upset with me about how I haven't been around lately. He'd completely lose it if he found out I was a Ranger and didn't tell him. Or he'd be excited; it's really a toss-up of the two."

The three of them were silent for a moment, looking at each other before they got back on their bikes, continuing with their bike ride. As they were on their way back to Melody's house, they nearly collided with a young boy as he flew around the corner.

"Whoa!" Kimberly cried as she grabbed the brakes on her bike, stopping short. Adam practically threw himself into the street to stop a collision.

"Sorry!" the boy cried, grabbing onto Kimberly's handlebars, stopping her from falling over. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you." He gave a brief smile, taking a few steps back. "Maybe you can help me? I'm looking for a house…er, I'm looking for Harcourt Road."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know where that is," Kimberly said with an apologetic smile. "My friend and I aren't from here." She motioned towards Adam and herself.

_That's where the Shiba House is, _Melody thought, looking the boy up an down. "Um, that's Adam, and Kimberly, and I'm Melody," she said, offering him her hand. "I know where Harcourt Road is. You take this road up the hill, and once you get to the top, you take a left and go up _that _hill. Once you're at the top of _that_ hill, take a right, and you're on Harcourt."

"Thanks," the boy replied with a smile. "I'm Cody by the way." He gave a short wave and started making his way up the street.

"Cute kid," Kimberly commented.

"Never seen him before," Melody replied. "Guys, I think he's looking for the Shiba House."

"There are a bunch of houses up there," Adam pointed out to her, walking his bike closer to the two girls, "he could be looking for anyone. It's a coincidence." The ground shook beneath their feet as a far off explosion sounded.

Kimberly put a hand on Melody's shoulder as the Purple Ranger turned her head to look in the direction of the explosion. "Adam," she said, turning to the former Black Ranger, "if it's one thing I learned while being a Power Ranger; it's that things like this aren't coincidences."

Adam didn't say anything, but let out a sigh. He knew that the two of them were right. "What's up?" he asked, spotting the look n Melody's face.

"I still have my zeonizers," Melody muttered, rubbing her chin, "and my old Power Morpher—"

"Don't even think about it," Adam warned with a shake of his head. "Remember what happened to me? You barely let me get a word in edgewise to explain before you started yelling at me. And I thought Tanya was bad; at least I didn't have to see her in person and I got lucky hearing from Aisha over e-mail."

"Don't risk it, Mel, it's not worth it," Kimberly said with a shake of her head.

"I have different powers, it might not hurt me," Melody said, more to herself than the two of them.

Ever since she was kicked off the team, she often wondered what would happen if she used her old morphers. She wondered how it would affect the morphing grid, but, unlike Tommy, she was under one suit color with different teams. However, she saw the after affects of Adam using his old Frog Ninja Coin; it just about killed about him. That tie to the morphing grid was as cracked as their coins; it wasn't safe.

"Come on, let's head back," Kimberly said, nodding her head to the side, "Adam and I need to pack our stuff before we leave tomorrow." She then gave a sly smile. "And I need to help you figure out what you're going to wear for when you meet Jayden."

"A: we don't know if he's actually going to show up, and B: I just want to talk to him, not date him," Melody said, suddenly feeling annoyed. Adam laughed a little bit. She pushed on the pedals of her bike with her feet. "I've missed you while you were in Florida, Kim, but I didn't miss this part of you."

"Just remember that after we leave," Kimberly said with a small smile.

"I can't thank you two enough for coming out to see me," Melody said, giving the two of them a smile. "I really appreciate it."

"You can thank your brother for that," Adam replied, opening his arm to give her a hug. "What are friends for?"

* * *

"We have to tell him," Mia whispered to Mike, Emily, and Kevin as they lagged behind Jayden and Antonio after a Nighlok fight. She rubbed her sore arms, wincing as she did so. Much like the other NIghlok's they've fought recently, this one wasn't going to make the fight easy for them. "Today's the day they're supposed to meet."

"I haven't actually found a good _way_ to tell him yet," Mike said, chewing on his thumbnail.

Kevin let out a quiet huff of annoyance. "You said you were going to think of something," he hissed.

"And I will," Mike promised. He knocked himself on the forehead. "It's just not coming fast enough."

"I _knew_ this was a bad idea," Kevin groaned, running his hands over his face. "We should've just let the two of them work things out by themselves."

"Kev, we know that wasn't going to happen," Emily said with a shake of her head. "Jayden's just too stubborn to take initiative with this." She frowned as she looked over at the Red Ranger. "I know he'll be mad that we've been plotting behind his back, but this has to be done."

"I want Mel back too," Kevin said, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets, "but I'm starting to think we're going about this the wrong way. I mean, yes, it's been 8 days since Mel left, but they just need some time to calm down before talking it out."

"Unfortunately, we don't have time to waste, Kev," Mia said with a heavy sigh. "At this point, Xandred and Serrator have to know that Mel is gone. The Nighlok attacks have been more frequent lately."

"I agree, but—"

"Hey, guys," Mentor greeted the Rangers. He was standing in the garden, picking tomatoes. He stood up, pushing his hat up off his head, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his arm. "How'd it go?"

"It went well," Jayden replied with a nod. He looked over towards the house and he was surprised to find the front door open. "Did _you_ leave the door open?"

Mentor stopped what he was doing, looking over at Jayden and at the front door to the Shiba House. "No," he replied, slowly setting his basket of tomatoes down. "I made sure of it."

"Maybe it's Azure," Antonio commented, gently slapping Jayden's chest with the back of his hand. "Or Jaeger. I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about."

"Even so…" Jayden said, instantly making his way into the house. He motioned for everyone to follow him. He pushed the large doors open and slowly crept around the corner. He saw a pair of dirty red converses on the table, and then a pair of dirty jeans, and the end of a plaid shirt before clearing his throat, speaking up, "Hello?"

A dirty blond haired young boy jumped at the voice, knocking Jaeger who was in his lap to the floor, and scrambled to his feet, wiping dirt off the table before grabbing his bag, looping the strap over his arm, offering his hand to Jayden.

"You must be the Red Ranger," he said with a smile. His smile faded slightly when he saw the dirt covering his hand, and wiped it on his pants leg before offering it again.

"Yes, I'm Jayden," Jayden replied, slowly shaking Cody's hand.

"This is Cody," Jaeger said, jumping onto the table, shaking out his fur, giving Cody a small glare before addressing the other Rangers. "He's come from the other side of town."

"There are more Rangers than I thought there were," Cody commented, looking over at Antonio. "There's seven of you?"

"Six," Jayden corrected him, nodding his head over at Antonio who gave a small salute in greeting. "Antonio is Gold. Jaeger's not—"

"I'm referring to Melody," Cody interrupted Jayden. Jayden's eyebrows shot up, but he didn't say anything. "I ran into her on the way over here. She was with two of her friends." He motioned towards Jaeger. "He told me about her."

"Tell them why you're here," Jaeger prompted, gently bumping his head against the bag on Cody's shoulder.

"Oh yeah," Cody said, scrambling to unlatch the buckle on his bag. He fished inside and pulled out a white disc, holding it out to Jayden. "I came to give you this; I need you to free the Bullzord."

"_Bullzord_?" Kevin repeated, shaking his head. "No offense, but I think you're mistaken. There's no such thing as a Bullzord."

"Yes, there—"

"Cody?" Mentor asked, stepping up behind the group of Power Rangers. "Does your father know you're here?"

"Dude, who is this kid?" Mike asked. No one enasered him.

Cody pressed his lips together, shifting his weight from foot to foot before looking guiltily down at his shoes. Mentor let out a heavy breath through his nose already knowing the answer. "He doesn't does he?" he prompted.

"No," Cody admitted, looking up at the older man. "I jumped the fence when he thought I was doing my chores."

Ji shook his head, looking impatient with the young boy, and then turned to look at the Rangers, "Cody's family are guardians of the first Zord that ever appeared in this world," Ji said, putting a hand on Cody's shoulder. Mia and Emily let out gasps of surprise, Mike's eyes widened, Antonio muttered something in Spanish and Jayden and Kevin looked interested to hear more. "The Bullzord has immense primal power and Cody's family have been guardians for three hundred years."

He gently pushed Cody ahead of him, making his way into the common room, and the Rangers followed him, taking a seat around the oak table. Mentor slowly sat down at the head of the room, clasping his hands together.

"The Bullzord came to our world through symbol power, but it went out of control and ravaged the countryside, so the Grand Shogun sealed it away in a secret location. Only his family know where the Bullzord is hidden." As Ji continued his explanation, Cody looked more distressed.

"But, the Bullzord isn't bad," Cody cried, looking around at the other Rangers, as if silently asking them for help, "he just wants to be free. Once I break the seal…"

"Hold on," Kevin interjected, putting his hand up, "You want to unleash a Zord that went on a rampage?" He briefly closed his eyes. "Kid, I don't think you know what you're dealing with."

"My names Cody, not _kid_," Cody said with a slight edge to his tone. "You don't understand. I know the Bullzord isn't bad. He'll listen to me, I just know it."

"So, you can _talk_ to a Zord?" Mia asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Could you explain that to us, please? So we can understand?"

"You don't believe me," Cody said with a shake of his head. "I'm telling the truth. He won't destroy anything now. He showed the white disc again. "You can control it with this!"

Jayden looked at the disk then shook his head, "We'll need to check this out." He looked over at Metor who nodded. "We're taking you home, Cody."

"But…" Cody said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You believe me, don't you?"

"Your father is probably worried about you anyways," Jayden continued as if Cody didn't say anything to him. Cody let out a heavy sigh, nodding. Jayden patted him on the shoulder and he got to his feet. "Let's get going."

"So, _when_ do you think it'd be a good time to tell Jayden about Mel?" Kevin asked, turning towards Mike.

"Oh, shut up," Mike growled, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. "It's obvious nothing's going to happen today."

"What are you going to tell her?" Mia asked.

"That something came up," Mike replied, his thumbs flying over the keypad on his phone. "She'll understand. Something _always_ comes up." He let out a heavy sigh, looking up from his phone and at the other Rangers. "We'll figure something out."

"We better," Kevin said with a frown.

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, I'm finally doing the Bullzord ep for all of you guys who have been waiting for it. It'll cover the next (maybe) two chapters, if I don't just finish that in this next chapter. I hope you guys liked this.

_One of the Guys II _will be updated again on Thursday.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	24. Chapter 24: Runaway Bullzord

**.:Chapter Twenty-Four – Runaway Bullzord:.**

* * *

"Look," Mia pointed at the archway the group of Rangers were about to pass through."The Shiba Family Crest."

"We're almost there," Cody muttered, kicking at a rock at the ground. "We just have to follow this path and we'll be there."

Cody's house was a little ways away from the city, so much so that Mia and Emily were shocked to hear that Cody had walked all the way to the Shiba House. The Shiba House wasn't that far from the city, but was a good half hour walk without a car.

They approached Cody's home but no one was inside. "Dad must still be doing chores," Cody commented, a hint of fear to his voice. He made his way out the front door and around the side. As they got closer to the back, a rhythmic thumping sound hit the air. As they neared, Cody started to move towards the back of the pack.

As they rounded the corner they spotted a man chopping wood with his axe. Jayden cleared his throat but the man never turned around. Instead he kept his eyes on his job. Jayden looked over at his friends and then at Cody, who silently nodded. Jayden turned back towards the man.

"Um, excuse me, sir," Jayden called over to the man, "Can we talk to you for a minute? We're the…"

"I know who you are," the man interrupted Jayden. He still didn't turn around. Instead, he grabbed another block of wood and placed it on the cut tree trunk in front of him. He gripped the axe in his hands and swung it over his head, cutting the block of wood in half. "My son went to see you." He stopped what he was doing and still didn't turn around. "Why are you hiding in back of them, Cody?"

Cody slowly stepped to the front of the group, his eyes on the ground. Emily placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving him a small smile. The older man turned around, shaking his head in disappointment. "You left without telling me. Again."

"Sorry, dad," Cody commented before looking up at his father. "I was just worried about the Bullzord." A whine came into his voice. His father rolled his eyes as if he had heard that excuse before. "It doesn't want to be sealed up like that, I can feel it. And the red Ranger here can help set him free."

"No one can control that Zord, Cody; not even the red Ranger," the older man replied. Mike opened his mouth, looking offended, but Emily elbowed him in the side, slowly shaking her head back and forth. Mike crossed his arms over his chest, pressing his lips together. "You've endangered yourself and the Rangers. You put everyone around us at risk."

"I'm sorry," Cody said with a frown. "It's just—"

"You've got chores to do," Cody's father interrupted him. "I'm very disappointed in you, son."

"I know," Cody muttered before turning on his heels, slowly walking away from the Rangers.

Cody's father watched him go, a stern look on his face, before turning his gaze on the Rangers, his expression softening slightly. "I'm sorry you had to come all this way," he said stiffly. "Cody shouldn't have run off like that. I'm sorry if he wasted your time." He stepped forward, offering his hand to Jayden. "My name's Kale Rybeck." He then looked out past the Rangers and at the setting sun. "It's getting late. To thank you for bringing my son back, I want to offer you a place to stay for the night."

"We couldn't," Jayden said shaking his head. "We wouldn't want to impose, sir."

"Please, call me Kale," Kale said, putting his hands up. "And you wouldn't be imposing…"

"Jayden," Jayden offered with a small smile, "and this is Emily, Mia, Mike, Kevin, Antonio, and that's Jaeger." He motioned to the black cat on Antonio's shoulder. Jayden spotted the look on Kale's face and sighed. "It's a long story."

"One I would love to hear," Kale said with a small smile, "as well, I'd like to explain to you the reasons behind my son's actions. Please; at least stay for dinner."

"Think about it, dude," Antonio whispered, leaning forward to speak into Jayden's ear. "At least we'd be able to learn more about the Bullzord."

"_And_, we'd have a nice cooked meal for once," Mike added, nodding his head in Mia's direction. "I'm just saying."

"Thank you for your offer," Jayden said with a polite nod and a smile. "We'd love to stay and we'd like to thank you for your hospitality." He gave a small bow.

"Please, come inside," Kale said, setting the axe aside, wiping his dirty hands on his even dirtier shirt. He led them into the house through a sigh door.

The cabin was fairly capacious and looked like it was remodeled recently. The exterior was painted a sandy brown, and the stair rails, fence surrounding the porches and decks, and window shutters were painted a light green. Wood looked to be theme of the cabin as most of the furnishings inside were made out of it. Pines and gnarled trees dotted the landscape, along with a few spring wildflowers.

It didn't look it from the outside, but the cabin had a vast basement, and a decent floor above the main area. In the basement was half finished, or partially started, book cases, tables, chairs, dressers, you name it. Kale explained that while his family did guard the Bullzord, he was a carpenter by profession. Cody helped him out from time to time as he was old enough to start using the tools, but lately, all his mind seemed to be on was the Bullzord.

"Cody really cares about the Bullzord, doesn't he?" Jayden asked, giving Kale a nod of thanks after he was handed a mug of tea.

"Yes," Kale replied with a nod, "he started talking to the Bullzord when he was three years old." He let out a small laugh. "He thinks it understands him?"

"Does it?" Jayden asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Maybe," Kale replied, "but, it can't be trusted."

"Everybody has a special bond with their zords," Jaeger explained from where he was sitting on a table, staring out across the vast land that the family owned. He licked a forepaw, dragging it over his face. "It's hard to explain though. When Mel first got her zord, it was like she had driven it for years it came that naturally to her."

"I'm sorry," Kale said, a confused look crossing his face. "But, who's Mel?"

"Melody," Jaeger replied, turning away from the window, blinking at the older man, "my ward. Allow me to explain." He turned to face Kale as he sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws as h quickly moved through the explanation of how he met Melody, his job, her role as a Power Ranger, and what had happened in the recent events.

"I see," Kale said with a slow nod. "And you all have bonds with your zords?"

"Our zords are always there for us," Emily said with a smile as she pulled hers out of her pocket. It unfolded from it's original triangle shaped emblematic state and started flying around the room. "It's not just a machine to me." She glanced down in embarrassment. "I talk to it sometimes when I'm feeling down."

"Maybe I've been too hard on Cody, lately," Kale commented with a sigh.

"You're worried about him, that's all," Mia said before taking a sip of her tea. "It must be hard being out here all on your own. Does Cody have any friends around?"

"Not for miles," Kale replied with a shake of his head. He suddenly looked very tired, and much older than he actually was. Having to be guardian of the Bullzord, as well a singlehandedly bringing in money for the family as well as looking after Cody must've started to take its toll on him. "I often wonder if that's how he grew to create his bond with the Bullzord as it was the only thing around to listen to him like he claims."

"I don't claim anything, dad," Cody said as he made his way into the house, the door slapping into place behind him. He was carrying a bucket of water in each hand. As he set them down on the kitchen counter, water sloshed over the sides. "I _can_ talk to him. He's my friend; he just wants to be freed. Why can't you understand that?"

"Cody, it's not a good idea to free the zord," Kale said, briefly closing his eyes before turning to face his son. "I don't think you understand how dangerous t is. There's a reason why he was sealed away in the first place."

"Why don't you trust me?" Cody asked, stomping his foot.

"I do trust you, Cody, I just don't trust that zord around my son," Kale replied. "I'm not discussing this any further tonight. We're being rude to our guests." Kale got to his feet and walked over to his son, putting his hands on his shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Please realize that I care so much about you and your safety."

"I know, dad," Cody replied, allowing a small smile to come to his face.

"Good," Kale said, smiling as well. "Please go out to the garden and get some carrots and tomatoes for dinner." Cody gave a nod and Kale smiled a little wider, mussing his son's hair. "Take the lantern with you."

"I'll be back in a little bit," Cody replied, leaving the house again. He let out a heavy sigh as soon as the door slapped shut behind him. "I don't know why I even bother, sometimes."

He grabbed the metal lantern off the hook by the area where Kale was previously chopping wood and twisted the knob on the front, a blew glow immediately illuminating the area in front of him. _Why won't anyone believe me?_ he thought to himself. His shoes crunched over the gravel as he made his way towards the vegetable patch. _Dad doesn't listen, even the red Ranger doesn't understand. The Bullzord won't hurt anyone. I'll prove it._

Smiling to himself, he did as he was told; getting vegetables for dinner. In fact, he did everything else his father asked him to do, such as give the Rangers a tour of the house, and help bring up extra chairs from the basement, and help Kale cook dinner without much complaint. He was a man on a mission. He was going to prove to everyone that the Bullzord wasn't anything to be worried about.

The Rangers helped out around the house where they could, helping with dinner, setting the table, even collecting wood that Kale had just chopped for the indoor fire. They ate dinner, talking about everything they had gone through as Rangers for the past year. While the Rangers cleared the table, waiting for dessert, Cody slipped outside, something that only Mia noticed.

"Are you ok?" Mia asked, stepping up behind Cody, who was sitting on the back porch, staring down at the white disk he held earlier. After dinner, while the Rangers offered to clean up, Cody immediately made his way outside. "You seem really down."

"I'm ok," Cody replied with a smile, putting the white disk back into his bag. He was silent for a moment before nodding towards the bag. "My dad doesn't know that I have it. If I did; he'd really flip his lid."

"You have to understand that your dad is just worried about you," Mia said, putting an arm around his shoulders, giving him a hug.

"I understand," Cody replied, "he's been that way since my mom died." He played with a loose thread on his dirty jeans. He wrapped the thread around his finger until it turned a light purple and pulled hard, the string snapping with a _pop_. "She passed away when I was two. It was my fault, really. We were at the river, and I went out farther than my parents said to. She died saving me."

"I'm so sorry, Cody," Mia said quietly, shaking her head back and forth. "Really, I am."

"Thanks," Cody replied shortly. "It was really hard for my dad. I think about her sometimes, but I don't remember her that much." He gave a faint smile. "She smelled like flowers and firewood. I guess that's why I like being outside a lot. The Bullzord was always there to listen to me."

"So is your dad," Mia pointed out. She was silent for a moment, looking out over the vast land before turning back to the younger boy. "I think you both just need to sit down and talk things out."

"Dad talks, he never listens," Cody replied, shaking his head. "You saw him earlier today. He wouldn't listen to a thing I had to say."

"I think you both just strongly believe in what you believe in," Mia replied, choosing her words carefully. "You've both dealt with your mother's death in different ways, but you haven't dealt with it together." She then turned to face him. "Your dad said you started talking to the Bullzord when you were three. How does it talk back to you?"

Cody shrugged. "I heard his voice in my head, that's all," Cody replied as if it wasn't anything weird. "I talk to him and I hear his answer in my head. He understands me, that's all." He was silent for a moment. "He's my friend."

"Your dad could be your friend too, if you let him," Mia pointed out to him. "I'm not saying he's right and you're wrong, and I'm not saying that _you're_ right and _he's_ wrong, I just think that you both need each other more than you truly realize." She then gave him a wide smile."And, I'd be happy to be your friend."

"Really?" Cody asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Really," Mia replied with a smile. "It's getting a little cold so I'm going to head back inside. You coming?"

"I will in a little bit," Cody replied. Mia nodded before getting up and heading back inside the cabin. Cody looked back out across the land, shaking his head. "She doesn't believe me either. They'll all see."

"Mission accomplished?" Kevin asked as Mia stepped back inside.

"I hope so," Mia replied, moving to sit down at the kitchen table. She looked around and noticed that Jayden wasn't in the room. Hearing running water, she quickly deduced that he was in the bathroom as Kale was stoking the fire in the living room as Emily, Mike, and Antonio. She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "When are we going to talk to Jayden about you-know-what?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever find the right time," Kevin said with a shake of his head. "But, we have to tell him soon. I don't think we should risk anyone going to talk to her again." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Unfortunately, it won't be easy as then Mike and Emily will get in trouble for going in the first place and _we'd_ get in trouble for covering it up."

"He can't kick _all_ of us off the team," Mia pointed out.

"Can't he?" Kevin asked, raising his eyebrows. "We saw what he was like when we first met him, and we saw it again when his mind was altered. Jayden wasn't happy to know he was going to lead a team."

Mia couldn't deny that at all. It wasn't something easy to ignore. Here they all were coming to a new place, knowing that they'd be up against scary monsters, and their leader wasn't even happy about it. "He's changed since we've been here," she replied, running her hand over the smooth finish of the wooden table. "We've been able to hold our own for now, but once Serrator shows his face again, we're screwed. And I feel bad for Jaeger. I mean, I'm kind of surprised he stuck around, but he always seems so depressed."

"He's been with Mel for three years now, Mia," Kevin reminded her. "I mean…it's kind of like how the rest of us are with Mel gone, but we haven't known her that long."

"So you actually miss her?" Mia asked, giving Kevin a teasing smile. "Despite the fact you guys haven't always gotten along?"

"I guess," Kevin replied, shortly. Mia gave him a 'yeah-right' look and he sighed. "It's just weird not having her around. Bottom line is we need her; Jayden's got to see that."

"He probably does," Mia replied, "and we can all agree that they both said some pretty harsh things to each other, but we're not at our best without everyone around. We should at least tell him tomorrow." She was silent for a moment. "Do you really think Cody talks to the Bullzord?"

"I don't know what to think, to be honest," Kevin replied with a shrug. "If it's one thing I've learned being a Ranger, it's that in most cases, it's hard to explain things and even harder to believe it."

..

.

Early that morning, when it was still dark out, Cody quickly got dressed, grabbing his bag off of his bed post. He checked to see if the white disc was there before hurrying to his desk drawer. Slowly sliding it open, he reached his hand inside, pulling out what looked like a paint brush. He slipped it into his bag and pulled on his shoes. He then grabbed the bag, making his way out of his room.

He slipped out of the house, remembering to grab the lantern by the door, making sure the door didn't slam shut behind him and made his way across the grassy fields. "If they're not going to free the Bullzord, I will. I have enough power to do it." He glanced back over his shoulder, making sure he wasn't being followed as he slipped into the forest. "I hope."

* * *

"Dude, how did I not notice this last night?" Mike asked the next morning. He had just noticed the giant, wood carved figure standing in the sunroom of the house. "That's sick."

"_That's_ the Grand Shogun," Jayden commented, stepping up behind the Green Ranger.

"Dude, could you imagine if _we _had that kind of armor?" Antonio asked, clapping Mike on the shoulder. "We'd be able to defeat any Nighlok that came our way."

"I hear that," Mike agreed. He gently ran his fingers over the wooden sculpture. "Think of all that power. We'd be able to keep Jayden safe to use the Sealing Symbol no problem."

"Kale, thank you so much for having us over," Emily said as the older man made his way into the room. "But, we have to get back, our Mentor is expecting us."

"I can't let you go without some breakfast," Kale said, moving to clear the table.

"We'll get that for you," Kevin said, quickly brushing past Kale to grab some of the plates and cups that were on the table. Emily helped him as Kale made his way over to a cabinet.

"I want ot thank you for brinigng Cody home, but I'm surprised you don't want to know more about the Bullzord," he commented as he unlocked the cabinet.

He pulled the doors open and grabbed a long rolled up paper, untying the thin rope from around it. He unrolled the paper and the Rangers gasped at what was in front of them. Japanese writing covered the paper, but there was a picture of the Grand Shogun and a symbol on it.

"Three hundred years ago the Grand Shogun entrusted us with this task: to guard the Bullzord with our very lives. The Grand Shogun ordered that the Bullzord remained sealed; today, tomorrow, and for eternity. This Zord is very dangerous."

"I just don't understand how a Zord can't be trusted," Mike said, shaking his head back and forth. "I mean…it's a Zord."

"And the Black Box was a tampered talisman that we brought into the Shiba House," Kevin said, leaning over the table, "_and _remember the Tigerzord was controlled by that Nighlok too." He paused, swallowing thickly. "Like me."

"You think the Bullzord was tampered with?" Antonio asked, turning towards Jayden, who had a look of concentration on his face.

"Hard to say," Jayden said with a shake of his head.

"The Bullzord can't be tamed," Kale said in a tight voice, shaking his head. "Many have tried and many have failed." He le t out a heavy sigh. "Some of my ancestors tried to control it, but too many things were damaged too many lives were taken. There was no choice but to seal the Zord away, to make sure it couldn't cause anymore damage."

They all jumped when a door was flung open and Mia hurried inside, breathing heavily. "Cody's gone," she gasped out, chest heaving as she gasped for air. "I went to get him from his chores. I can't find him."

"_What_?" Kale asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. Suddenly the ground began to shake. There was a rattling sound and Kale saw the plates in the sink shaking. He turned to look out the window as a plume of dirt flew into the air. "It can't be…" Kale rushed towards the door, flinging it open. "Cody? Cody!"

"Over there!" Antonio shouted, pointing into the distance as the Rangers hurried outside. "Oh, Dios mio." They all turned to see where he was pointing and saw a mountain start to collapse as the horns of the Bullzord appeared.

"Is that…the Bullzord?" Mia asked, using her hand to shield her face from the sun.

"He's figured out how to break the seal," Kale said before letting out a loud cuse. "The Bullzord is escaping from the mountain." _Please be ok, son_.

As soon as the Bullzord had his feet on the ground he began charging. There was quite a way to go before he reached the city, but the Rangers knew that if they didn't stop it soon, they were going to have a very big problem on their hand.

"What's that?" Emily asked, pointing to a black speck in the distance. It got larger and larger as it rushed towards the Rangers. "It's Jaeger! Something's wrong." Soon the large black lion landed on the ground in front of them. Some of the feather's on one of Jaeger's wings was ruffled and it looked like he was limping. Emily rushed forward and tried to smooth down the feathers as Jaeger laid down on the ground. "Are you ok?"

"Cody," Jaeger gasped, "he's inside the Bullzord." Kale's face instantly turned into a look of horror. "That's not it. Mel's in there, too."

"What?" Jayden asked, marching over to Jaeger. "What did you just say?"

"Melody's in the Bullzord, too," Jaeger repeated, slowly blinking. He looked like he was in pain. "I got out in enough time to…warn you."

"Try and relax," Emily said, smoothing down the fur on Jaeger's face, "you're going to be ok." The Yellow Ranger turned towards Jayden. "What are we going to do?"

"Stop the Bullzord," Jayden replied, pulling his Samuraizer out of his pocket. "There's no way I'm letting that Zord rampage. Samuraizer!"

"Go, go Samurai!" the Rangers shouted in unison.

"Gold Power," Antonio shouted after them, morphing.

"We'll bring Cody back safe," Jayden said, putting a hand on Kale's shoulder as the Rangers rushed past him and into the forest. "I promise." Kale gave a brief nod and Jayden turned, hurrying after his friends. "Guys; we're going to have to do everything we can to get the zord under control."

"Jayden, don't forget that Cody and Mel are inside," Kevin said, falling into step with the Red Ranger.

_Can't forget that, _Jayden thought to himself. "We have to be effective, but careful," he shouted to the other Rangers. "If the Bullzord reaches the city, we're putting countless more people in danger."

"Right," they replied, acknowledging the dire situation they were in.

Suddenly, Giant Moogers rose up from the ground, chains in their hands, trying to capture the rampaging Bullzord. "Oh great, just what we need," Mike said, throwing his hands into the air as he skidded to a stop. "We've got no time to lose, Jay."

"You got it," Jayden replied, reaching into his belt for his foldingzord. "Lion Foldingzord!" The other Rangers instantly followed his lead, calling upon their Zords, forming the Samurai Megazord to fight the Giant Moogers.

This proved to be difficult as the Moogers started to attack them the minute the Megazord was formed; leaving the Bullzord enough space to keep speeding through the mountainside, blasting at anything and everything that got in its way.

"I'll handle the Moogers," Antonio called from the formed Clawzord, its hands bumping together in a sign of aggression."You guys go after the Bull."

"Be careful, Antonio," Emily said before the Rangers directed the Samurai Megazord forward, hurrying after the Bullzord. "We have to hurry; the Nighlok want the Bullzord, too."

"It can't be a coincidence," Mia said shaking her head, "they must need Cody and Mel, too. How do you think Cody got the Bullzord free?"

"The Rybeck family have been guardians of the Bullzord for generations," Kevin reminded her, "they must have some special family symbol power to keep it under control. Cody must 've learned how to use it."

"Let's grab that Bull by its horns," Jayden declared, pushing the Megazord to go faster.

The Bullzord charged away, but the Samurai Megazord cut in front of its path, causing it to change it's path on the spot. Because of this, the Bullzord slowed down so it wouldn't crash into the Samurai Megazord, but it didn't turn fast enough to not be caught. The Megazord grabbed the bull by the horns, forcing it to stop, but in its anger, the Bullzord let out a cry and decided to charge forward, pushing the Megazord backwards.

"We need to get control," Jayden said as the cockpit shook from the bumpy ground, "Mia, try to knock some sense into it."

Mia nodded and under her control, the turtle arm lifted up, slamming the Bullzord on the forehead. The Bullzord let out a noise of anger, shaking its head from side to side, slipping out of the Samurai Megazord's grip, racing off in another direction. "Now what?" Mia asked as a cloud of dust puffed up from the wheels on the Bullzord.

"I have an idea," Jayden said, and before the other Rangers had a chance to ask him what his idea was, they were standing on the back of the Bullzord, grabbing onto the chains stuck around the Bullzord's horns.

"Are you out of your _mind_?" Emily screeched as they were pulled forward. "This isn't a rodeo, Jayden!"

"We can't stop it," Jayden explained as the scenery flashed by them, "but maybe we can steer it away from the city. Anything to save people's lives. Maybe we can tire the Bullzord out." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, they were bucked off the back, crashing hard into the ground. The Rangers were knocked off their respective podiums, hitting the back of the cockpit, lying in a heap.

"What now?" Mike asked as they untangled themselves from each other. "He's too strong."

Jayden was silent, breathing heavily before hanging his head. "We retreat."

"What?" Kevin gasped in shock. "But, Jayden—"

"It's out of control," Jayden interrupted Kevin. "Nothing we do is working. We'll have to figure out a way to keep the Bull under control. And while we're there, we can ask Jaeger how Melody got in the Bullzord to begin with."

..

.

Kale didn't take the news well, and none of them were all that surprised about it. At first, he didn't say anything, just stared off into the distance. But, when he got into the house and sat down, did his worry eventually show. His mask cracked; he looked visibly upset and scared when he heard Cody was in danger, as any father would be, but tried to continue on with his chores anyway. But, it was evident that his mind was elsewhere as he never finished one task before starting another.

It took Emily a little while to calm him down enough to get him to sit inside the house. They made him some tea, despite his protesting of things around the house needing to be done. "I just don't understand why he would deliberately go behind my back," Kale said, setting his untouched tea down onto the table, some of it splashing over the side and onto his hand, he should have listened to me." He took a long sip of his tea.

"I'm sure the Bullzord won't do anything to hurt him intentionally, Kale," Jayden said in a quiet voice from where he was standing, staring out over the mountains. He shifted his gaze over to Mia who was tending towards Jaeger in the front yard, wrapping some bandages around his injured paw. "Cody's bond with the Bullzord…it's clearly stronger than we anticipated."

Jayden let out a heavy sigh, turning to face the older man. "We tried our hardest to get to the zord," he said, giving the man an apologetic look. "He escaped…but we'll find him. I'm…I'm so sorry." Kale didn't respond.

"His bond with the zord _is _strong," Mike said, reaching into his pocket for his own zord, "but so is ours. Why don't we send _our _zords out to find him?" He gave a brief smile. "You know the Bear Zord loves to play hide and go seek."

Kevin snorted. "More like you _misplace_ your Zord," he corrected the Green Ranger. "But, I think it's worth a shot."

"Golden idea!" Antonio said, clapping Mike on the shoulder. "If anyone can find a the Bullzord, it's another zord."

"Let's go tell Mia," Jayden said. He glanced back at Kale for a moment before making his way outside. "Mia."

"He's going to be ok," Mia said, placing a kiss on top of Jaeger's head before packing up the first aid kit. "He was trying to stop the Bullzord himself before he came to warn us." When she was done, she started to fix his tangled mane. "You should've come to us first." Jaeger briefly closed his eyes in reply.

"Mia, we're going to send our zords out to try and find Cody and Mel," Emily said, motioning to the yellow, gray, and black triangle in her hand. "We need the Turtle Zord."

"Good idea," Mia said, retrieving her Zord from her pocket. It instantly unfolded into a turtle in her palm before floating around her.

"Everybody ready?" Jayden asked, briefly looking up from the red lion in his hands. "Alright; good luck Lion Zord. Find the Bullzord, and come back here." He crouched down towards the ground and let his Zord go. The other Zords followed the Red Lion Zord before they all floated into the air, hurtling across the sky.

"I hope they find them soon," Emily said with a sigh. "We should tell Mentor what happened."

"If one of you would…" Jayden's voice trailed off as he made his way over to Jaeger, sitting down cross legged in front of him.

"I have my reasons for bringing Mel to Cody," Jaeger said, his eyes falling shut. He sucked in a deep breath of air, letting it out a moment later, blasting Jayden with warm air.

"I'm sure you do," Jayden replied evenly. The two of them were silent for a moment. "I'm too worried to be mad." Jaeger's eyelids twitched as a chuckled rumbled in Jaeger's throat. "What?"

"We're fighting Nighlok every day," Jaeger said, his eyes still closed, "risking our lives every day for the safety of the people at Panorama City. Every day we're re reminded of giving up what we love never knowing if we're ever going to return to them."

Jaeger blinked open his green eyes. "If we're not fighting the Nighlok, we're fighting each other. Worrying about ourselves; worrying about each other. Mel has more things to worry about; forgive her for not handling things well." Jayden stayed silent. "Mike wanted to protect Melody; that's all, as she tried to figure out how to handle things in her life. One could say it's child's play what she's worried about, when compared to what's really going on. So why can't she just have a day where, for once, there's nothing to worry about?"

"Because that's not our life," Jayden replied. "Our life is about saving the people of Panorama, and the people of the world against the Nighlok."

"Jayden, no one ever said that it's not ok to ignore reality and do something normal," Jaeger said evenly, "that's why we have days off. And what's normal for Melody is to be worried about her family. She's a worrier; that's just who she is; whether she shows it to you or not. She just wanted to be sure her family was ok; and to make sure that being a Ranger is where she's really needed now."

Jayden understood. With Melody going to help Cody, getting herself stuck in the Bullzord, it was like Jaeger said, she was always worried, she always put other people before herself and most importantly, it was obvious that being a Ranger is where she was meant to be; she couldn't just turn off helping people in their time of need.

_Just once she decided to think of herself and I acted like that, _Jayden thought with a frown. He turned his head to look at the other Rangers who were now back into the house. Jayden closed his eyes, leaning forward to rest his forehead on Jaeger's, feeling the warmth and security of the majestic animal in front of them. _They all deserve to have a chance to worry about their families and to think of themselves._

* * *

**A/N: **Phew. I meant to have this updated earlier, but I just had to add some parts into this. I hope you guys liked this chapter. The next chapter will show how Melody got to the Bullzord.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	25. Chapter 25: Taming the Bull

**.:Chapter Twenty-Five – Taming the Bull:.**

* * *

"This place is just going to be boring again without you guys," Melody said with somewhat of a whine as she sat on the trunk of Adam's car, watching as he and Kimberly threw their bags into the backseat. She glanced at her watch. It was 3:30 in the morning. "Are you sure you can't spend one more day?"

Adam looked over at her, sighing and laughing a little bit when he saw the pout on her face. "And have to listen to you two giggling and gossiping the next room over when I'm trying to sleep?" he asked with a teasing grin, "no thanks."

"I don't giggle," Melody protested, pouting even more.

"And we weren't being that loud," Kimberly protested, smacking Adam in the stomach. She then brushed her hair behind her ears, turning towards her friend. "You'll be fine. But, it was great seeing you."

"Yeahhh, you too," Melody replied with half the enthusiasm, although she had a grin on her face. "I can't thank you guys enough for coming out."

"What are friends for?" Adam replied, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "We better get going. I don't want Kim to miss her flight back to Florida."

"I wish you still lived in Angel Grove," Melody commented, "that way I could go visit you guys there."

"Then, I'd be out of a job," Kimberly replied with a short laugh, "no one else wants to take over teaching my gymnastics class." Melody jumped off the back of the car and gave her a hug. "But, I'll text you as soon as I land."

"Fine," Melody replied before giving Adam a hug. "Drive back safely. And tell everyone I said 'hi'."

"Will do," Adam replied, giving a little salute. He then turned towards the front door of the Porter house as the porch light came on, basking the three friends in a warm glow. The front door swung open and Melody's dad walked out, carrying a bag.

"This is for you guys," he said, handing the bag to Adam. Kimberly stood next to Adam, peering into the bag. "Some food for your trip."

"You didn't have to do that, Mr. P," Kimberly replied, although she looked like she was mentally calling dibs on some of the food in the bag.

"We could've stopped to get something to eat," Adam added, moving to hand the food back to him.

"It's my pleasure," Aaron replied with a warm smile, putting his hands up, showing that he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. "I wouldn't feel right knowing that I had some extras and you guys would be spending all day on the road, and in Kim's case in the airport, and I didn't at least offer it."

"Thank you, we really appreciate it," Adam said with a nod. He then clapped his hands together. "Alright, Kim, let's head out."

"Tell your brothers we said 'bye'," Kimberly said, giving Melody another hug before smiling over at her father. "Thank you for allowing us to stay at your place, Mr. P."

"It was my pleasure," Aaron replied as he shook Adam's hand. "I'm glad you were able to make it out here. I haven't seen Mel this happy in a while." Melody rolled her eyes and shook her head, but didn't say anything else. There was no point in denying it, as that was the truth, but at the same time, it was embarrassing for her dad to point it out. "Have a safe trip back."

"Thank you," Adam replied, pulling his car keys out of his pocket.

He slammed the back car door shut before making his way to the driver's seat. Kimberly got into the passenger seat, slamming the door shut behind her before buckling up. Adam started the car, put on his seat belt, and backed out of the driveway. He honked the horn twice, Kimberly waving so fast her hand was blurred, before driving down the street, turning the corner, and disappearing from view.

"You going to be ok, sweetie?" Aaron asked, placing his hands on his daughter's shoulders.

"Yeah, but I should be asking you that question," she replied, leaning into his side as they made their way into the house. "Don't you have a doctor's visit soon?"

"I really don't want you to be worrying about that stuff, Mel," Aaron replied and Melody looked up at him, a confused look on her face.

"That's pretty much impossible, daddy," Melody replied with a shake of her head as she closed the front door behind her. "I can't do that to you. I mean, there's all the hospital stuff and the restaurant and—"

"It's not your job to worry about money in this family, Melody," Aaron said in a serious tone as he lead her to the kitchen. He flicked on the light, and headed towards the coffee maker, switching it on. "It's my job to worry about you and your brothers. I know how equally important it is for you to be with the other Samurai Rangers."

"My family's more important," Melody replied.

"The Rangers are your family, are they not?" Aaron asked, turning around to face her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sure, you haven't known them as long as Kimberly or Adam, but you've been there for a year now." His lips twitched into a hint of a smile. "You've even kept up your normal routines here; getting up early to train, eating healthy. You've even cut back on how much soda you drink and I never thought I'd be able to do that."

"Force of habit, I guess," Melody replied with a shrug.

"If it was one thing I remembered while Adam and Kim were here, it was how close you guys were while you were Rangers," Aaron explained. "It was because of that that you guys are still as close as you are now. Jayden, Mike, Kevin, Mia, Emily, and Antonio may not be as close to you as you are with Jason and Billy and Aisha and Tanya, but I can tell they have grown to be an equally important aspect of your life since we moved to Panorama." He watched her for a moment before adding, quietly, "You can't be there for me if the rest of the world gets flooded by Sanzu River Water."

"Dad—"

"You've seen the news coverage on TV," Aaron said, interrupting his daughter, "you know what you have to do. And more importantly, you know what you _want_ to do. I'm just surprised you're waiting around waiting for Jayden to come talk to you. You've _always _been the one to take initiative."

"Jayden made it clear that I'm off the team," Melody replied.

"From what I can understand; he acted out against what you said to him, which I've seen happen many times, and yet your friends are still there for you," Aaron replied, stroking his chin, "such as how Mike and Emily came looking for you."

"Yeah, but—"

"You've never been one to give up," Aaron continued as if Melody didn't say anything. "I know with Adam and Kim being here, for a little while, you got to see what it would be like if you were living a normal life, but you don't have a normal life right now. You still have your powers for a reason. I might be parental intuition, or because I've seen stuff like this before, having gone through it myself, but, it from what you told me, I think Jayden was ultimately giving you space to decide what you ultimately want to do. He just acted on it in a defensive way when you made that comment about his family."

Melody winced. "I can't have both," Melody pointed out after a moment of silence.

"Sure you can," Aaron replied and Melody gave him a confused look. "Go back to the team, where you belong right now, and once everything with Xandred is over and done with, then you can come back home. We'll be waiting right here for you." He let out a yawn. "The way I see it; you have to make time for both, no matter how long one thing lasts over another." He then walked over to her, giving her a hug and a kiss on top of the head. "I spent nearly 15 years of my life looking for you; I can wait a little while longer for you to return home."

"Thanks, daddy," Melody replied, returning his hug. "I guess I'll go over there tomorrow to see if Jayden will talk to me."

"Or you could go today," Aaron pointed out to her and she shook her head.

"Fridays are Half-Off day at the restaurant, remember?" she replied, looking up at him, resting her chin on his chest. "I can't leave you guys alone during the rush of people." She then let out a loud yawn as she stepped back out of his embrace. "But, I can't do anything unless I sleep for a while."

"Night, sweetheart," Aaron called after her. He laughed a little bit. "Or, good morning."

Melody laughed quietly to herself as she went upstairs to her room, closing the door behind her with her foot before dropping down onto her bed, wrapping her blankets around her, and falling sleep.

..

.

Melody snapped awake, her eyes darting around the darkened room. She sat instantly up in her bed, breathing hard. She took a second to re-orient herself, sighing before glancing over at the clock. 4:30. It felt like she had been asleep for a long time.

It was still dark, but she could sense that she was not alone in the room. It was then that she felt a hand underneath hers, and she held it in a tight grip. Looking around, she spotted a dark shape standing next to her bed; familiar green eyes staring back at her.

"Jaeger," she breathed, instantly relaxing, letting go of his hand.

"You okay now?" he asked, quietly.

"Yeah…" Melody replied, staring at him, "but why are you-?"

"Sure?" Jaeger interrupted her.

"_Yes_!" she snapped. "What are you doing here?"

"Come downstairs when you're done changing," Jaeger said, still ignoring her, striding towards the door. "Oh, and make sure you're wearing adequate hiking shoes."

"What's going-?" Melody let out a huff of annoyance when Jaeger still didn't answer her question.

"And grab an old morpher, too, just in case."

There was a shuffling sound and a the lamp clicked on, bathing the room with a warm glow. Melody winced, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the bright light. Before she could say anything else, Jaeger slipped out the door, softly closing it behind him. _What the hell was that? _

She sat there, staring at the closed door for a moment before jumping out of her bed, making her way to her dresser. She slowly and quietly pulled open the top drawer and looked around in the top drawer, and pulled out a set of clean clothes for the day. She grabbed a pair of socks and started pulling them on, jumping on one foot as she made her way to her closet. Sliding the door open, she grabbed her brown boots before turning to face her desk, staring at a medium sized wooden box. She crossed the room to it and popped it open, staring down at her old morphers.

She glanced briefly at her closed door before grabbing her Turbo morpher and her boots before clicking off her lamp, quietly making her way downstairs. The living room light was the only one on. The stale smell of coffee hung in the air as Melody moved to sit in a chair, sliding her feet into her boots. Jaeger sat across from her and a familiar looking boy sat on the couch, looking around.

"Hey," she said, getting his attention, "I remember you. Cody, right?"

"Yeah," Cody replied with a nod, "and you're Mel. Jaeger's told me all about you."

"So, what's up?" Melody asked, strapping her morpher to her wrists. "For the record; whatever it is, I'll help you out, but what's going on?"

"I went to the Shiba House to get the Red Ranger to free the Bullzord—"

"So there _is_ a Bullzord," Melody gasped her eyes widening. "I saw it one of the books from Mentor's archives. Do you know if there's a Black Pantherzord, too?"

"Well, yeah, but it's been missing for centuries, now," Cody replied, his eyebrows furrowing together. "I don't think Jayden believes me about the Bullzord; none of them do." He licked his lips. "I can talk to him; he understands me. He just wants to be freed. I was hoping you would help."

"Me?" Melody repeated, blinking in surprise. Cody nodded. "But, I don't have my Samuraizer. How could I help?"

"I have this," Cody said, reaching for the bag that Melody noticed was sitting at his feet. He dug around inside for a moment before retrieving what looked like a large paint brush. "My family has been guardians of the Bullzord for generations. This is what they used to track it down."

"Track it down?" Melody repeated. Cody nodded and proceeded to tell him everything he knew about the Bullzord from when it first arrived on Earth, to its rampage, then to its capture and how Cody grew up around it. Melody was half listening to the story, and half deep in thought about the zords.

_The Bullzord has been around this long, so there's a reason why I've never heard of it before. Maybe the government was hiding that, too. Power Rangers probably weren't around back then, so why need to raise alarm to people?_ Melody thought, putting a hand to her chin, _So maybe they know all about the lost zords, too._ B_ut Kevin found the Swordfish zord at sea. The Tigerzord was missing too, but that was in the Netherworld with the Nighloks and Jayden was able to gain control over it._ _So, what happened to the Pantherzord_?

"The Bullzord won't hurt anyone, I just know it," Cody said with a small grin. "I was hoping one of you Rangers could help me. Jayden just brought me back to my dad's…he's not too keen on the idea, either."

"Does your dad know you're here?" Melody asked, peering over at Cody, who slowly shook his head from side to side. She then looked back over at Jaeger. "And you brought him here knowing that his dad didn't know he was sneaking off?"

"You said you would help no matter what it was," Cody said in a quiet tone.

"I know," Melody agreed, "and I will help any way that I can, but I don't think it was a good idea for you to sneak off without your dad knowing."

"I just wanted to prove to him that the Bullzord is safe," Cody said, leaping to his feet, "he's my friend. I'll make sure nothing happens. No one ever believes me or listens to anything I say." Silence fell after his outburst. He slowly sat down, clasping his hands in his lap.

"With you gone…we need all the help we can get," Jaeger spoke up, rubbing at his eyes. "I'm not sure if or when Jayden will let you back on the team, but one more zord won't help. I caught him sneaking out when I was making my rounds, making sure nothing was going to happen; I don't know if Cody's place is guarded like the Shiba House is." He silently looked over at Cody who shrugged in reply. "Kale, Cody's father, said he's been able to talk to the Bullzord since he was three years old."

"Wow," Melody said, looking taken aback. "I understand a bond between a Ranger and a zord is strong, but to have that bond since you were _three_?" She looked over at Jaeger. "You're worried, though."

"Xandred must know all about the Bullzord and Cody," Jaeger replied after a moment of silence. "Like the Black Box, I'm worried that it might be tampered with or they're trying to find a way _to_ tamper with it."

"And you want me to check it out for you," Melody replied with a nod. "Like I said, I want to help."

"Great," Cody said, jumping to his feet. "Let's get go—"

"On one condition though," Melody replied, putting her hands on Cody's shoulders, stopping him from running out the door. "I don't want your dad to worry…I want you to tell him where we're going." Cody opened his mouth to protest. "We'll check things out with the zord first, and then go tell your dad our worries about it. If what Jaeger thinks is true, given what happened with the Black Box, then we'll know how to deal with it."

Melody then turned around to face Jaeger, stumbling a few steps as Cody suddenly gave her a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Cody cried. "You're the best!"

"No worries, Cody," Melody replied with a smile, putting a hand on his head, hugging him back. "I was going to go to the Shiba House tomorrow anyway."

Jaeger's eyes lit up for a moment, although he kept the serious look on his face. "Seriously?" Melody gave a short nod.

"I talked to dad earlier," she explained, "and he helped me realize that I wasn't really being myself. I've never really taken 'no' for an answer on anything or ever let someone tell me what to do. Unfortunately, that's also a bad quality I have, but—" she broke off, shrugging in a 'what can you do' kind of way. "I'd do it today, but I figured it'd be better if I spent one last night with my brothers; if Jayden agrees to take me back anyway."

"That's true," Jaeger said, getting to his feet. "I was surprised that you took what Jayden said to heart." Melody offered a noise in the back of her throat for an answer. "Anyway, I'm glad you want to come back."

"What can I say? You can't keep a good Ranger down," Melody replied with a small laugh. She then made her way into the kitchen, quickly jotting down a note on a piece of paper, before placing it under the TV remote. "Liam will see it first when he gets up to watch TV. Now, Cody, show me the way to the Bullzord."

"Follow me," Cody said with a wide smile.

* * *

"It's just over here," Cody said as he slowly climbed down a large boulder. Jaeger glanced at the drop before easily doing a front tuck, landing gracefully on his two feet. "Wow."

"You think you would've gotten tired of him showing off at this point," Melody grumbled as she slowly climbed down after Cody. "It's a good thing you told me to wear my hiking boots." As she dropped down to the ground, she brushed dirt off her hands, looking over at Jaeger. "You really think I'll need my morphers?"

"Won't hurt to be prepared," Jaeger replied, slowly blinking.

"Come on," Cody said, leading the way through trees. He started heading north-west, and more rocks appeared, but these seemed to be on either side of a trail. The rocks stacked higher and higher up as the ground slanted downwards. The cave entrance was at the foot of large rock wall. "Here it is."

"Ugh, it smells like Mike's socks," Jaeger commented as his and Melody's hands instantly flew up to cover their noses.

"Yeah, after a long day of training," Melody agreed, sounding nasally as she pinched her nose between her fore-finger and thumb. "Cody, how far does this cave go?"

"Not that far," Cody replied simply, continuing his way along the path. He smiled at her over his shoulder. "It's alright. I come here all the time, remember?" He then hurried back to her side, taking her free hand in his. "I'll hold your hand so you won't be scared."

As they pressed on further, the air grew more humid, the walls seemed to press closer, and water seemed to trickle down the stony walls. "There," Cody suddenly cried, "We're here." They stepped into a room that widened into a circular area. Sitting in the middle was a stone stand with what looked like a horseshoe sitting on top of it and a symbol that Melody didn't recognize, sitting on the front.

"What's that?" she asked, motioning to it.

"That's the Grand Shogun's crest," Jaeger replied. "He was the one who sealed the Bullzord here in the first place." His eyes narrowed as he walked around the stone stand, gently running his fingers over it. "I don't feel like there's anything wrong with it; but I sense that there's something off."

"I can only assume that while Cody's place isn't protected that this place is?" Melody said as more of a question. She let go of Cody's hand and walked forward, tracing the crest with her finger. "Do you know, Cody?"

"Not sure," Cody replied. "So, what do you think?"

"Well," Melody said with a heavy sigh, "Antonio was taking longer than we all thought to program the Black Box, which is what made me think it was tampered." She turned to face Cody. "We're going to have to release the Bullzord to really know for sure." Cody grinned, reaching for his bag and Melody grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Are you sure you can seal him up again so we have enough time to tell your dad?"

"Yes, I've been practicing for years," Cody replied with a smile, "my dad taught me how. He said I caught on faster than he did when he was a kid."

"If you're sure," Melody replied, before turning towards Jaeger as her guardian stepped towards her. "Alright, so we need to be prepared just in case anything happens." She sucked in a deep breath, held it, and then let it out. "If things get out of control, go find the Samurai Rangers, ok?"

"Ok," Jaeger replied with a nod. "But—Cody, not yet!"

"Symbol power," Cody called as he drew a kanji in the air, red stripes glowing and hanging in the air in front of him as the triangle shape on the stone Bullzord stand glowed red. He reached into his bag and pulled out a white disc, holding it in his right hand. "Release!" He held up the disc, shoving it forward, as if pushing the kanji forward as well. Everyone held their breath they watched the symbol fly over to the stand, breaking the stone crest of the Grand Shogun; revealing a spot to attach a Power Disc. A yellow glow appeared over the stand.

"Did it…work?" Melody asked quietly.

"Nothing happened," Jaeger whispered. "Maybe we're ok."

"Come on," Cody called out, his voice echoing around the cave. "You're free now!" The ground shook violently underneath their feet and dust and dirt started to drop to the floor. Seconds later, the ground shook again, the force of it knocking the three of them onto their backs.

There was a loud cracking sound and streams of light started pouring into the cockpit. Lying on his back, Jaeger raised a hand to shield his face, and watched as a large chunk of rock broke free from the ceiling, falling down towards them.

"Move it!" he shouted, rolling towards Cody. He grabbed the boys arms, rolling him out of the way, looking back to see the rock hovering above Melody, glowing a bright purple as she strained to keep it from crushing her. "Mel!"

"I'm ok," she replied through clenched teeth, "but, I can't hold this that much longer."

"Hold on as long as you can," Jaeger replied, forming a purple and black ball of energy between his hands. It grew bigger and bigger as he pulled his hands farther apart. "Stop and cover your head when I tell you to, ok?"

"Got it," Melody replied, barely nodding.

"…._Now_," Jaeger shouted. Melody dropped her arms, turning on her side to shield her head as Jaeger threw the ball of energy forward. It collided with the chunk of rock, exploding into smaller pieces, showering Melody with smaller bits of rock. "You ok?"

"I'm good," Melody replied, grabbing his hand as he helped her to her feet. "Cody…Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Cody replied, pushing himself up to his elbows, shaking dirt from his hair.

"We need to get out of here," Melody said as the two of them joined Cody's side. "Do you have to seal him up from in here or can we do it outside?"

"He'll listen to me," Cody pleaded over the loud cracking, "he just needs all his powers back to really feel like himself. It'll be ok." He tightly gripped the disk in his hands and jumped away from Jaeger when he tried to grab him. "Please, trust me! It'll be ok!" Cody stepped forward, placing the power disk onto the stand, smiling as it glowed red. "There…Now I just need to draw the power symbol…"

Suddenly, the Bullzord shot forward, once again, throwing the three of them hard to the ground. Jaeger let out a hiss of pain as his palm scraped over a chunk of rock, lying on the ground. He turned his hand over and blood started to slide down his wrist. "We need to leave, now," Jaeger shouted.

"Cody, let's go," Melody said, getting to her feet. She grabbed Cody's shoulders, trying to pull him back from the stand as he traced another kanji in the air. Pulling away from her, Cody sent it towards the stand, watching as it took no affect on the zord. "Cody.."

"Why didn't it work?" Cody asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why didn't it work, Mel? Why won't the Bullzord stop?" He started to sound hysterical. "The symbol power was supposed to calm him down!"

"Maybe it _was _tampered with," Melody said, struggling to pull Cody back from the stand.

"Bullzord, stop!" Cody shouted, pulling at Melody's arms, trying to break away from her. "Why aren't you listening to me?"

"Jaeger, get out," Melody shouted over at her guardian. Jaeger turned away from his palm and looked at her. "Go find Jayden. Get out, now."

"But—"

"You agreed," Melody said breathlessly. "Get out, now!"

"Ok," Jaeger replied before getting on his hands and knees.

In a flash of light, he changed into his lion form. He glanced over at Melody, taking a few steps towards the exit, wincing when his injured paw hit the ground. He then ran out of the entrance, disappearing from sight, moments before a pile of rocks fell down, trapping Melody and Cody inside.

There was a loud cry of triumph from the Bullzord before it suddenly jolted forward, taking off across the mountains in a full on rampage. The Bullzord ran wherever it wanted, over bumpy ground, jumping from point to point, gaining speed as it went along. Things quickly went from bad to worse when Giant Moogers appeared, trying to capture the Bullzord. The Samurai Rangers showed up in their Megazord to help out, but that was short lived as even they couldn't keep control of the Bullzord either. The Bullzord broke free of everybody, racing off into the mountains. Soon, it was quiet.

"Mel," Cody said from the ground. He sniffed loudly, wiping at his eyes with the back of his arm. His lip was split and he had a bruise forming on his chin. He slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position as the jerky movements to the Bullzord died down. "I'm sorry. I thought I could control it."

"Don't blame yourself," Melody replied with a shake of her head. She was shaking out her clothes, trying to get as much dirt off of them as possible. She also had a split lip, and a cut that went into her right eyebrow, that was bleeding a little bit. "I'm equally to blame on this." She coughed, hard, putting a hand to her chest. "I should've brought you back home." She waved her hand in the air, swallowing thickly, before coughing again. "The air in here is so dry."

"Do you need some water?" Cody asked, his eyes widening.

Melody shook her head, slowly breathing in deeply, sounding a little wheezy. "I'm ok right now," she replied as she let out a breath of air, giving a brief smile. She looked around the cave. "I don't know where the Bullzord is going, or when it's going to stop; but we're along for the ride wherever it goes."

"We'll be able to get home, won't we?" Cody asked quietly, suddenly looking like a small kid as he got up and walked over to her. He sat down next to her, pulling his knees to his chest.

"Yeah, don't worry," Melody replied, mussing his hair. "I'll make sure of it. Jaeger got out; he's told the Rangers we were in here." She put her arm around his shoulders giving him a hug. "And I'll let you in on a little secret; the Rangers always come through."

"My dad's going to kill me," Cody groaned. "He told me not to come here. I just wanted to prove to him that he could trust me."

"Right now, Cody, I bet your dad is more worried about you then about you disobeying him," Melody replied, holding in a short cough.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Cody asked, looking up at her.

"It's just a tickle in my throat, that's all."

* * *

It was a bit after 12 noon, and the Rangers were already feeling the effects of the heat on the Rybeck land. As a token of their gratitude, and of their guilt for not being able to help Cody in the Bullzord, they stayed another night, offering to help Kale with his chores the next day. Kale barely protested, but then again, he barely did anything except for answer a few questions here and there when the Rangers talked to him, and sit on the back patio, staring up into the mountains, drinking coffee.

Emily was happy to go around tending to all of the animals, gushing about how it reminded her of her animals back home. Mike and Jayden decided to see if they could fix the broken hand well pump sitting by the side of the house, Kevin and Antonio opted to work indoors, sanding some of the cabinets and dressers while Mia went to collect some fire wood.

"Ouch," Kevin hissed, pulling his hand back from a dresser shelf. He had just ran his hand over the area he had just sanded, getting a splinter stuck in the heel of his palm. He growled, slamming his fist down on his thigh. "Why can't we just use a normal, electric sander."

"Bad move, Kev," Antonio said, stopping what he was doing to shake his head. "My dad tried that once, making his own fish cart. Nearly ripped the skin off his hand. Do you even know how to use one?"

"It'd be faster than this," Kevin said, gritting his teeth as he tried to pull the splinter out of his hand.

"I'd have Mia look at that," Antonio pointed out, "that looks bad."

"Hurts worse," Kevin replied, sucking in a sharp intake of breath when his hand throbbed with pain. "Son of a bitch."

"What's wrong, dude?" Antonio asked, looking concerned. "I've never heard you curse a day in my life. I thought it was against the 'Samurai Code' or something."

"I just…_hate _sitting around when the Bullzord is out there somewhere," Kevin said, kicking at a chair that stood by him. "We could be out there looking for it."

"We don't even know where to _begin_ to look," Antonio replied. "I get it, Kev, I'm worried, too. We're just going to have to wait for our zords to come back. They'll find it, don't worry."

"Yeah, yeah," Kevin replied. "I'll be back; I'm going to find Mia." Antonio gave a brief nod before going back to do what he was doing. Kevin made his way up the stairs of the Rybeck House, looking around for Mia when a rhythmic hammering noise caught his attention. He walked around the side of the house.

The source of the sound was Mia as she chopped wood. Mia wiped her hands on her pants before picking up the axe, hoisting it over her shoulder. Then with one mighty swing, she brought it down on the piece of wood, cutting it in half, sending the two halves to go flying in different directions.

"I didn't think you could do that," Kevin commented. Mia let out a startled cry and turned around to face him. "Sorry; I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's ok," she replied, using her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "What makes you say that?" Kevin gave her a confused look. "You said 'I didn't think you could do that.' What makes you say that?" Kevin open and closed his mouth. "What, is it just because I'm always talking about Prince Charmings?" She gave a smile. "Mulan was able to hold her own in case you forgot."

"I didn't," Kevin replied, clearing his throat, "and I didn't mean that you _couldn't_—"

"Someone has to chop wood," Mia interrupted him with a shrug. "Emily taught me how. She used to do it back on her farm." She jerked her thumb towards the trees behind her. "I was going to look on the trail, but Kale said that I wouldn't find any suitable wood so it'd be easier just to chop." She let out a short laugh. "He wasn't kidding."

_Stronger than I thought, _Kevin thought to himself, his eyes shooting up. "You just don't look—"

"Looks can be deceiving," Mia replied with a grin, "figured you would've learned that about me by now." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Like, how I look like I know my way around the kitchen, but you guys hate my food."

Kevin blinked, startled. "Uh…how…uh," he stammered. He didn't know what to say and he was embarrassed that he was caught. He did try to hide his disgust, but sometimes it was pretty hard to do. He thought they had been doing a good job of making her think that her cooking was good; and they would've told her the truth. Eventually.

"I heard Mike's comment when we first got here," Mia explained, moving to sit on the clear stump. "And that one time we went to stake out Ryan's House, I saw some of the food that you threw away."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kevin asked, feeling like a jerk.

"I was hoping that the more practice I got while I was in the Shiba House; the better I'd be," Mia replied, her lips twitching as if she was going to start laughing. "Oh, and the cookbook for Christmas kind of hinted towards it as well."

"But…we _lied_ to you about liking your food," Kevin pointed out. "We didn't want to hurt your feelings, but—"

"It did hurt that no one wanted to tell me the truth," Mia explained, her smile fading a little bit. "I always thought I was pretty good. But, you guys kept giving me more chances to get better, and I kept taking them, wanting to help Ji out and to help myself." She let out a heavy sigh. "There were plenty of times where I wanted to talk to you guys about my feelings on the subject, but things kept getting in the way. After everything with the Bullzord, it just doesn't seem all that important."

"My offer still stands, I'd be happy to help you in the kitchen," Kevin commented, "if you want." Mia smiled in reply. There was a long pause, the two standing in complete silence and staring at each other, both unsure of themselves and nervous. Kevin shifted his weight and let out a breath, breaking their gaze by staring down at his feet.

"Can I help you with something?" Mia suddenly asked, capturing Kevin's attention again. "I'm guessing you didn't come all this way just to watch me chop wood..?"

"Maybe I did," Kevin replied with a shrug.

"You're crazy," Mia said, shaking her head.

"Guess so," Kevin muttered before showing her his hand. "I got a pretty bad splinter. I was wondering if you could—?"

"That _does _look bad," Mia said, wincing when she looked at the piece of wood stuck in his hand. "Here, come back inside, I'll help you, no problem."

"I appreciate it," Kevin replied with a smile, following him back into the cool cabin. He sat down at the kitchen table as Mia went to get the first aid kit.

"Feel free to scream if it hurts," Mia said as she sat down next to him, opening the first aid kit. She grabbed a pair of tweezers and a needle. "I wouldn't blame you if you did, but I'll try to be gentle. He took his hand in hers, holding it in her lap. Placing the tweezers between her teeth, she started to pick at his palm with the needle.

It did hurt; but Kevin tried not to show it. He clenched his teeth; he pressed his lips together, he bounced his knee. Once in a while, Mia would mutter an apology around the tweezers. But, his mind wandered away from the pain every time she would brush her hand across his palm, trying to get the splinter at a new angle, and a new sensation would take over his attention, one that he didn't mind.

At last, she was able to pry his skin open enough to take the tweezers and to pull the splinter out of his hand. Kevin let out a sigh of relief. "That wasn't so bad," he said and Mia couldn't help but laugh as she started to pack things up.

"It's actually a good thing I have this out, I want to check on Jaeger," she said more to herself than to Kevin as he reached for the bandages to wrap his hand.

"You're good at that, you know," he said.

"What?" Mia asked, pausing to look at him.

"Taking care of people," Kevin replied simply. "It's really what you want to do in life isn't it?"

"Yeah," Mia replied with a fond smile. "I worked at a day care before I came here. All the kids called me Miss Mia. Sometimes they'd call me Mama Mia." Kevin chuckled. "It's just nice to know that little kids, even ones I've never met until they come to the day care, are always looking towards you to help them with their homework or with a scrape. I'm always happy helping people, but working there made me realize how much I wanted to get married and to have my own kids one day."

"You will, I know it," Kevin said.

"Thanks," Mia replied with a small smile.

"_Guys_!" The two of them looked up as the door swung open and Emily rushed in, her hair in disarray, looking sweaty, and covered in some dirt. "The zords are back! They must've found the Bullzord's location."

"Antonio!" Kevin shouted, moving towards the basement door. "The zords are back, let's move!"

"Fantastico!" Antonio shouted back. He hurried up the stairs and followed them out the front door, where they happily grabbed their returning zords. Antonio laughed as the Octozord floated above him as the Clawzord crawled up his shoulder. "You've sure been missed, mi amigos."

"You found the Bullzord, buddy?" Mike asked his zord and it let out a small cry. Mike grinned. "I take it that's a yes."

"You've found the Bullzord?" Kale asked in a quiet voice, stepping out of the house. "You've found Cody?"

"That's what the zords say," Mike said with a grin. "We were just about to head out, right Jayden?"

"Right," Jayden replied as his zord folded itself back into its emblematic state. He slid it into his pocket. "Let's roll."

"Wait!" Kale cried. He walked over to Jayden, holding out a white disk. "Take this…It's the original power disk my ancestors used to create the Bull zord 300 years ago…It's the only possible way to tame it…"

Jayden nodded, taking the white disk from Kale. "Thank you, Kale," he said in a quiet voice, looking into the man's eyes, "and don't worry we'll be back with Cody safe and sound."

"I'm going, too," Jaeger said, limping around the side of the house. He test flapped his wings as Mia walked over to him. "I'm going, Mia."

"You can't, you're too hurt," Mia said, wrapping her arms around the lion's neck, burying her face into his mane. "I know you're used to healing quickly, but that paw is going to take some time." She gave him a peaceful smile. "I know you're worried about Mel, we all are. We'll get her back, too."

"Mia—"

"Please, stay here," Mia said with a gentle smile. "You know we all want her back, Jayden too. We'll get her back. I promise. And you'd be able to tell if she was hurt, right?" Jaeger slowly nodded. "See? Everything will be ok."

"_Mia_," Jaeger hissed and she blinked in surprise, "it's really dusty and dirty in there." Mia slowly nodded. "Mel has asthma, remember?"

Her eyes widened as the words sunk in. Mia placed a kiss on Jaeger's forehead before joining the other Rangers. "We've got to hurry. Jaeger says that the stuff in the cave could trigger Mel's asthma."

"Is he going to be ok?" Kevin asked as she fell into step with him as they hurried through the woods.

"He's just worried, like the rest of us," Mia replied with a nod, side stepping a tree, Kevin went in the opposite direction before they started running beside each other again. "He'll be ok."

"I told you you were good at that," Kevin said with a smile. Mia couldn't help but smile back. Kevin suddenly stopped, spotting Moogers and a Nighlok ahead of them. "They must have tracked it down too!"

"Hey, thuglies!" Mike shouted, cupping a hand around his mouth. "You better not take another step."

"We're not letting you anywhere near the Bullzord," Emily added.

"Nothing is going to keep us from saving Cody and Mel!" Mia exclaimed.

"Moogers! Take them down while _I _get to the Bullzord," the Nighlok shouted. "Keep them busy as long as you can!"

"Jayden, get going," Antonio said, shoving Jayden hard on the shoulder. "Go after him and we'll take care of these Moogers, no problem."

"You got it," Jayden replied, running after the Nighlok, pulling his Samuraizer from his pocket. "Go go Samurai!" He instantly morphed, running after the Nighlok as fast as he could.

* * *

"Mel," Cody whispered, shaking Melody. "Mel, wake up." She blinked open her eyes, slowly turning her head to look at him, breathing heavily. She gave him a weak smile. "Are you ok?"

"…Yeah," Melody replied with a nod, she sucked in a deep breath and air, and Cody frowned, seeing how hard she was breathing. "I just—" exhale "—have bad—" inhale "—asthma—" inhale "—sometimes." She let the word out with her breath of air, putting a hand to her head.

Cody placed a hand to her head as well, gasping when she felt how warm she was. "Bullzord," Cody shouted, fear gripping his voice, "Listen to me please! You wanted to be free but if you don't stop now they'll seal you up again…Only this time forever…" He swallowed thickly. "And then Mel won't be able to get the help she needs. Please, stop."

"Someone's—coming," Melody gasped, lifting her hand to point weakly in the direction of the cave that they had entered the day before. Her hand dropped to the ground with a dull thud. "I—heard—someone."

"I-I didn't hear anything," Cody said, grabbing her hand, holding it tightly between his. "Just hold on. You'll be ok, I promise."

"Your time is up guardian!"

Cody quickly turned around to find a Nighlok standing there, "Oh no…"

"Who—are you?" Melody asked, looking at the Nighlok over Cody's shoulder. She slowly blinked, trying to focus her gaze on him.

"My name is Crustor," the Nighlok growled, giving a mock bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Melody slowly got to her feet, swaying on the spot. "Get—behind me—Cody." The young boy did what he was told and Crustor threw his head back, letting out a loud laugh.

"Get out of my way," he shouted once his laughter subsided. "I'm taking the Bullzord and I'm going to use it to destroy your world!"

"Shi—shift into—turbo," Melody wheezed, lifting her arms into the air. She performed the morph, but due to how weak she was, she could only stay morphed for a few moments before reverting back. Cody grabbed onto her as her knees buckled beneath her.

"Mel," Cody whimpered, trying to hold her up. "What do we do now?"

"I have—enough energy—to keep—you—safe," Melody muttered as she started to glow purple. Cody gasped as his body did the same. "He can't—hurt you."

"We'll see about that," Crustor shouted, charging forward. "I'll turn you into mince meat!"

"No you won't!" Jayden shouted, charging into the cave, his Spin Sword held out in front of him. "Are you two ok?" He ducked underneath and kick from Crustor, spinning in a circle, aiming for a blow at the Nighlok's stomach. As he and the Nighlok fought, the Bullzord began a rampage, running towards a cliff.

"I'm sorry!" Cody cried. "I'm sorry, Jayden. I always wanted the Bull Zord to be free...he promised he'd listen to me. I swear, I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think he wouldn't listen." He sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "And Mel's…sh-she needs help."

Jayden knocked Crustor on the back with his Spin Sword before turning towards Cody, offering him the white power disk that Kale had given him earlier. "Your father gave me this…He believes in you Cody and now you need to believe in yourself."

"But, Mel," Cody said, staring at the white disk.

"I'll make sure she's ok," Jayden replied, "help me move her." Cody nodded and the two boys carefully moved Melody over to a corner of the cave, all the while Jayden used one arm to keep Crustor away from hurting Cody. "Take it; hurry." Cody slowly grabbed the disk from Jayden. As soon as the disk was out of his hands, Jayden went back to fighting the Nighlok. "Use your symbol power and believe in yourself."

With shaking hands, Cody replaced the first power disk with the new one he had just received. He then looked around for his fallen brush and grabbed it. Quickly writing the symbol, he sent it towards the disk but nothing happened. Again and again, nothing happened.

"It's not working, Jayden," he cried, his voice cracking. "I keep trying, but it's not working."

"Don't give up Cody, you can do it," Jayden called out breathlessly as he continued to fight. "I know you can do it and your dad does, too. Try it one more time. Concentrate!"

Cody nodded, writing the symbol one more time, sending it to the power disk. And this time it worked. The disk turned from red to white right in front of Cody's eyes. "It worked," he cried, a smile come to his face. "I got it." He stumbled as the ground shook beneath him. "The Bullzord is flying us to safety."

"Super Samurai Mode!" Jayden shouted, spinning in a circle. He transformed into the Super suit, striking Crustor across the chest. "Great job, Cody." Flames licked up his blade as he continued to strike Crustor over and over and over again. The last strike hit him so hard, he was knocked out of the Bullzord.

"Jayden, here," Cody said, retrieving the Bull Disk, handing it over to the Red Ranger.

"All right," Jayden said, smiling behind his helmet as he opened the Black Box, attaching the Bull Disk inside. "Let's see what this disk can do." As soon as he closed it, a hologram of the Grand Shogun appeared in front of their eyes, fading out for a moment before stabilizing.

"The Grand Shogun!" exclaimed Jayden, his eyes widening behind his helmet as the Grand Shogun turned to face him.

"_You have summoned the power of your ancestors_," he said in a booming voice. "_Now and forever, our power is your power_!" The Grand Shogun then disappeared.

Cody dropped to his knees, letting out a sigh of relief. "What a day," he said, shaking his head. "Oh!" He then got to his feet and hurried to Melody's side. "Mel."

"Mel," Jayden said, crouching beside the Purple Ranger. "Mel, are you ok?" Melody's head slowly turned on her neck as she peered at Jayden; her eyes almost closed.

"Jayden?" she asked quietly.

"You're going to be ok," Jayden said in a quiet tone. "It's time for you and Cody to go. Kale will take care of the both of you." Jayden put a hand on Cody's shoulder. "You did great, today, Cody, but let's get the two of you back to your Dad." He retrieved his Samuraizer from its pouch and flipped it open, drawing a kanji in the air. "Symbol power; home."

* * *

Melody groaned in annoyance as Skylar grabbed a tray of soups out of her hands, quickly walking it over to the table she was headed towards. "Come on, Sky, I'm perfectly capable of lifting heavy soups," she said, planting her hands on her hips. "The doctors said I'm going to be ok, thanks to Kale."

"Hey, chowder is the heaviest of all soups," Skylar replied, pointing a finger at her. "I'm helping you out, Jerk-Face. Don't say I never do anything nice for you." Melody stuck her tongue out at him and he did the same in reply.

"Less arguing, more serving please?" Braiden asked as he walked by, balancing a tray of sodas on his arm. "Anybody check on the people eating outside, yet?"

"I'm on it," Mika replied, speed walking past them.

"Gotta love Half-Off Fridays," Liam muttered, shaking his head as he wiped down a table. He looked out over at the packed restaurant. "At least we're getting good tips."

"Tips that are going towards dad's hospital bills," Melody said, pointing a warning finger in his face. "Don't forget that."

"I won't," Liam replied with a smile. He rolled up the damp towel before whipping it towards her hip. Melody jumped away from it, nearly colliding with another server. "Smooth."

"That was _your _fault," Melody shot back.

"Guys, we don't have time to sit around and talk," Aaron said to his kids as he walked over to them, wiping his hands on a towel. He then turned towards his daughter, giving her a smile. "If you start to feel lightheaded or anything—"

"I got it, I got it," Melody replied, interrupting her dad. "Geeze, you have one asthma problem, the first in _months _I might add, and people act like you're going to die."

"Be happy you get breaks for it," Braiden said, leaning against a table, rotating his foot. "My feet are killing me."

"Hey, Mel, table for you outside," Mika announced as he walked back to them, sliding a pen behind his ear.

"All outdoor tables are being covered by you today, Mika," Aaron said with a frown.

"They asked for your specifically," Mika replied with a shrug.

"Ok," Melody replied, giving him a confused look before making her way outside. She stopped short, her jaw dropping when she saw one of the tables filled with purple balloons. A giant card that read "Get Well Soon" stood on a row of chairs, her friends standing around it. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I think the most important question is, are you wearing _heels_?" Mike asked, pointing at Melody's feet.

"Get a good long look because that's the last time you'll see me in them," Melody said deadpan, arching an eyebrow at him. "Besides, it's part of my uniform." She then motioned towards the place. "Welcome to my dad's place I guess."

"We came to make sure you were ok," Emily said with a bright smile. "So…are you ok?"

"Yeah, I have another check up tomorrow morning, but the doctors say I'm good to go," Melody replied, waving her hand in the air. "It's no big deal, I've dealt with it all my life. It just gets bad sometimes." She then lightly touched her split lip. "As for this…well, people are going to have to deal with my ugly mug for a little while."

"We were really worried," Mia admitted as everyone else started to laugh. "Kale said you were doing better after his 'secret family treatment'. But, we haven't seen you since you came home, so."

"There's a rule against that," Melody replied.

"Didn't stop us from coming to see you, now did it?" Mike asked with a grin, rocking back and forth on his feet. "You know we couldn't stay away from us for too long, right?"

"Of course _you_ couldn't," Melody replied, "I bet you're slipping with your daily quota of annoying Kevin."

"Thank god," Kevin commented, causing everyone to laugh again. His smile faded slightly. "Well, you seem like you've adjusted here." He looked like he was going to regret what he was going to say next. "Miss us at all?"

"Not really," Melody replied with a shrug.

"Not even me?" Antonio asked, his eyes widening. Melody gave him a 'yeah right' look and he instantly relaxed into a smile.

"Of course I missed you guys," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "How could I not, I've been with you long enough you're like my second family; my growing Ranger family." She laughed as Mia and Emily rushed forward to give her a hug. "And how could I not miss you, Antonio?" She then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Sad to say, I've even miss your Gold puns."

"Fantastico," Antonio said with a grin, puffing out his chest.

"So why don't you guys stay for lunch?" Melody asked, clasping her hands together. "On me."

"No, we'll pay," Mike immediately replied, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "Anything to help out, right?"

"Well, you can keep this table, but you're going to have to help me take all this stuff inside," Melody replied, moving forward to take the card. "Geeze, could you have gotten this any bigger?" She held the door open as the Rangers grabbed the balloons and walked inside. She showed them a place to put them in the back before motioning for her family to join her. "So, guys, this is my dad Aaron, and my twin brother Mika, and Braiden and Skylar; who are also twins, and my baby brother Liam."

She then took in a deep breath and held it for a few moments before letting it out. "The place is so packed today because it's this thing we call Half-Off Fridays; where everything on the menu is half off," she explained. "We have it one Friday a month and half the proceeds from the day and all of the tips goes to pay—" she looked up at her dad who nodded, giving her a smile, "for my dad's hospital bills. He has a cancer and is going through chemotherapy right now." Mia and Emily gasped, suddenly looking worried. Kevin's eyes widened and Antonio's jaw dropped.

"It's ok, they caught it early on," Mika reassured everybody, "he's doing great. We know he'll beat it; it's just going to take time. But, that's why we moved to Panorama; they have a great cancer treatment facility here. Dad's a great fighter."

"As great a fighter as you can be when you're that old," Skylar said with a smirk, earning a slap to the back of the head from Braiden.

"Just ignore him, we all do," Braiden said with a roll of his eyes. "So, yeah, we can get you guys menus and get you seated and have a great time here."

"Mel, you can join them if you'd like," Aaron said to his daughter as his friends walked by them.

"Thanks, dad," Melody said with a smile, moving to untie the apron from around her waist. She made her way into the backroom to hang it up on a hook when she noticed that Jayden had followed her. "Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure," Melody replied. "But, I wanted to apologize to you first. I didn't mean what I said about your family. I was just frustrated about everything…well now you know why."

"I'm sorry, too," Jayden said. "I talked to Jaeger; about you." Melody blinked but she didn't seem too surprised about it. "He showed me that I had been a real jerk to you when I wouldn't let you explain your reasoning as to why you wanted to leave. I can see now that this decision has been harder for you than some of the other Rangers."

"I get that it was hard for you, too," Melody replied, hooking her hair behind her ear, "having seen what you were like when your mind was altered. You were so used to having everything be just you and Mentor. I never stopped to think that it would be a hard change for you to go from a two person family to hosting people you don't know in your house for who knows how long." She let out a heavy sigh. "That comment about your family was uncalled for. But, I hope you understand that I just couldn't give up on my family. But, I didn't want to give up on you Rangers either."

"You're a great Ranger, Mel," Jayden replied, looking her in the eye. "When you believe in something, you are all in, aren't you?"

"Isn't everyone?" she asked, a confused look coming to her face.

Jayden shook his head. "Too many people quit when the going gets tough. You just get more determined."

"Some would call it hard-headed," Melody said with a grin. She paused and then said as an afterthought. "Or stubborn."

"From experience, I'd say both," Jayden said, earning a small laugh from her.

"And I did quit once," Melody reminded him, motioning around to where they were.

"I'd call that a fluke," Jayden said with a shake of his head. "Anyway, that might be why you've butted heads with Kevin in the past—you're not one to sit back and take orders. You like to make things happen."

"Guilty as charged," she said. "There is nothing that irritates me more than whining quitters."

"I hope I'm never one of those," he said, grinning at her.

Melody stopped and turned to look at him, giving him an odd look. "The Rangers all look up to you, Jayden. So do I. I've always respected you ad known you put careful thought into your decisions."

"Even though you don't always agree," he pointed out.

"Even though I _often_ don't agree." She diffused the words with a smile. "I don't like admitting when people are right and I'm wrong. It's a character flaw I have to work on." She clicked her tongue as she started making her way back out to the front of the restaurant with Jayden following her. "Among many." He opened his mouth to say something, then immediately closed it, turning his head. "What?"

"Nothing," Jayden replied, shaking his head. Melody arched an eyebrow and Jayden's lips twitched into a hint of a smile; she was going to be too stubborn to drop the subject as well. "It's nothing; I was just going to say—" He stopped in the middle of his sentence when his Samuraizer went off. He stopped walking, back stepping a few paces so the other patrons wouldn't see or hear him. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled the ringing device out, using his thumb to flip it open before holding it to his ear, keeping his gaze on Melody. "Yeah, Ji?"

"_Nighlok attack downtown. The Gap Sensor is also showing some Sanzu River water seeping into our world as well._ _I'm sorry to cut your lunch short._"

"Got it; I'm going to get the others now," Jayden replied before he closed his Samuraizer. He transferred it into his left hand, reaching his right hand into his right pocket. He pulled out Melody's Samuraizer out of his pocket, holding it out to her. "Team's not the same without you, Mel. Will you come back?"

Melody glanced at the device in his hand, her fingers twitching at her sides. She glanced into the serving area, at her family, watching as they smiled and laughed with each other and with the customers in the restaurant. She wanted to keep her friends and family safe and happy and she knew the only way to do that was to keep the city free from the Nighlok. But, a part of her didn't want to leave her family for a second time; whether they were ok with it or not.

"Three conditions," she said, turning back to face him. Jayden's eyebrows knitted together in confusion as his arm lowered a little bit. "One; after this fight I can come back and help finish off the night and say goodbye to my family. We could have a big dinner instead of lunch; I want you guys to get to know them." She was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath. "And two; you let Emily go see Serena."

"Done," Jayden replied. "And three?"

Melody put a hand on his shoulder as she moved to take off her heels. "Help me find some shoes to change into." Jayden laughed as Melody held her heels in one hand, taking the Samuraizer in the other. "Come on, we have a Nighlok to fight."

* * *

**A/N: **I would've had this up waaaaay earlier, but I had a test or quiz in each of my classes at least every day this week. Phew, nice long chapter. I just couldn't leave any of this out. But, I hope you guys liked this chapter.

Anyway, I've noticed that I haven't had a lot of Antonio recently, but that'll change in the next few chapters.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	26. Chapter 26: Next To Normal

**.:Chapter Twenty-Six – Next To Normal:.**

* * *

After the Nighlok fight, the Rangers made their way back to the Porter family restaurant to sit down and to eat dinner before they made their way back to the Shiba House. After saying 'bye' to her family, Melody rejoined the Rangers, but instead of going straight back to the Shiba House, she asked them to stop at the Rybeck's place.

She barely set foot on the front porch when she was bowled over by a something heavy hitting her in the back. "I know you're happy to see me, Jaeger," Melody groaned, rolling onto her back, although she had a smile on her face as she looked up at the black lion, "but you really could've cracked a rib that time."

"Sorry," Jaeger replied, stepping back before lying down on the ground.

Mike laughed as he grabbed Melody's arms, helping her sit up. "We told Jaeger the good news before we came to get you," he explained. "H would've com, but Kale wanted to keep an eye on him."

"You ok, buddy?" Melody asked, looking concerned as she sat cross legged in front of her guardian. Jaeger simply put his paw in her lap and she turned it over, gasping when she saw the dried blood and crusted pus. "You tore your paw pad!"

"I've given him some poppy seeds for the pain," Kale said, announcing his presence as he came out of out of the house. "I was just about to clean the cut; the bleeding has finally stopped." He set the white box he was holding on the ground. "Cody was just coming with some clean water. I can't thank you Rangers enough for helping my son."

Jayden took Kale's outstretched hand, shaking it. "It was our pleasure," Jayden replied with a nod. "He's a great kid. We wanted to thank him; if it wasn't for Cody, we wouldn't have the Power of the Ancestors."

"Dude; that suit is _sick_," Mike cried with a large grin. "I can't wait to use it. And that armor?" He let out a whistle of amazement, shaking his head.

"Hey, guys!" Cody greeted, stepping out of the house, carrying a bucket of water in one hand, a rag in the other. The door slapped shut behind him as he slowly made his way over to everyone, careful not to spill any water. "I'm glad you came back."

"Mel wanted to stop by before we took off ot head back to the Shiba House," Mike explained, before he bumped fists with Cody. "We wanted to see how you were doing."

"I've advised him to take it easy for a few days," Kale explained, "but Cody's always running around looking for an adventure."

Cody's eyes shined as he set the bucket of water onto the ground. "Today was so cool! I want to help you out more; I've got some _epic_ ideas. First off—"

"Hey," Mia said, putting her hand on Cody's shoulder. "Relax a little bit, ok? You've had enough action for a while, you need to rest up."

Cody dragged his tongue over the dried blood on the bottom of his lip before twisting his mouth to the side. "But, I'm ok, really," he insisted. "I'm sure you saw the Grand Shogun in the house, but there's more you can do with the Bullzord! You can—"

"Cody," Kale said with a shake of his head, although he had a fond smile on his face, "take it easy for a little while, ok? I'm proud of you son, and our ancestors would be proud of you, too."

"Thank you, dad," Cody said, looking up at his father with admiration.

"We'll be sure to call on you again," Jayden added, lifting his hand for a high five. Cody slapped Jayden's palm with his own. "We could always use some help from a friend."

"You should be proud of yourself, Cody," Emily added, brushing her straight hair away from her face. "You stood up for what you believed in, and we got a new zord in the process."

"Thanks to you we have a new weapon to face off against the Nighlok with," Kevin added. "They won't know what's coming until it hits them in the face."

"And now you can go back to your normal life," Mia added, giving Cody's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Cody scoffed, his eyebrows raised. "_As if_!" he cried with a grin. "Man, being a Ranger looks so _cool_!" He lightly touched his lip. "I want to help you guys any way that I can."

"We can start with helping Jaeger," Kale offered, crouching down next to the lion, gently taking his paw, turning it over. "That looks bad, but I'm positive we'll be able to help him."

"Thank you for looking after him," Melody said shaking his hand.

"Cody, the water!" Kale said to his son, opening his hand for the rag; "we need to clean the wound before the poppy seeds wear off."

"How do poppy seeds help?" Kevin asked as the other Rangers sat down.

"Poppy seeds are natural pain relievers," Emily replied, running her fingers through Jaeger's fur. His muscles tensed under his coat as Kale gently dabbed at his paw with the now soaked rag. "They're the same seeds you can get opium from. We use them all the time at home on our animals."

Jayden looked over at her, but didn't say anything, a hint of a smile coming to her face. He knew she would be excited to hear his news for her, but couldn't think of a good time to tell her in private. Plus, he hadn't decided on sending her back home by herself or to have the whole team go with her. After meeting Melody's family, he had been toggling with the idea of having the other Rangers meet all of the Ranger parents. And _maybe_ he would tell them about his own family.

"How bad is it, sir?" Antonio asked with a frown. He was picking blades of grass from the ground, tying the ends together as he tried to create something.

"Any deeper and he might have to had loose the paw," Kale replied and the Rangers gasped, exchanging uneasy glances. "Thank God, it's not so bad. From what you've told me about him, he should be able to heal his own wound, but this is more extensive damage. He'd be able to heal part of it, but not all of It'll take a while for him to fully heal."

"But, he'll be ok?" Mike asked, raising his eyebrows. "I mean…he'll still be able to fight with us and everything?" Kevin elbowed him in the side. "_What_? I was just asking!"

"What's important is that Jaeger gets better, not whether or not he can fight," Kevin said in a scolding tone. Mike rolled his eyes.

"We might have to keep him here for a while," Kale said as he set the wash cloth aside. He opened the first aid kit and pulled out some tweezers, moving to start to pick at the deeply imbedded rocks ou of Jaeger's paw. "If that's alright with you, Mel."

"Of course," Melody replied with a nod.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of him," Cody said with a smile. "I'll make sure of it."

"Will this cause any lasting damage for Jaeger?" Jayden asked, watching as the lion closed his eyes, a low growl rumbling in his throat against the pain. He quickly explained to Kale and Cody about his friends going to the Elemental World and what they had learned while they were there. "Do you think he'll need to be replaced by Azure?"

"I'm not informed on the customs in his life, so I can't give you an answer," Kale replied, keeping his eyes on Jaeger's paw. He grasped tighter on his paw when Jaeger made a noise of pain, trying to pull his paw back. "Sorry." He continued to work silently. "But, that could be good or bad. It's hard to be so used to working with someone and then having them suddenly change."

"I know the feeling well," Melody said with a nod.

Jayden blinked, pressing his lips together, averting his gaze to the ground. Kale didn't know how true those words were. They really hit home and it was times like these he really wanted to come clean to his team, but he knew he couldn't. It would put everyone in danger if it wasn't brought up at the right time. _When will it ever be the right time_, he thought, looking out over at the setting sun.

"You ok?" Antonio asked, nudging Jayden in the side with his elbow. "You're really quiet." He gave a grin. "Not that that's really anything new."

Jayden gave a small grin. "Just thinking," he replied. _This wouldn't have happened if I didn't send her away. _Sadness. . . regret. . . concern. . . all of the emotions floated through him, but he made sure not to show it. He was still a leader and he had his team back together, and he they had a new power source. He had to make sure things were going to look up for them and that they would be strong enough to face the next Nighlok. And there was still Terrorem they had to worry about. _How would you handle all of this, dad_?

"What're you doing now?" Mia asked, as Kale handed Cody a small cup and a smooth piece of rock that looked to be an old fashioned corn grinder.

Kale popped open a small compartment from the first aid kit and places some leaves and berries into the bowl. Cody poured some water from the bucket into the bowl and started crushing the leaves and berries with the grinder.

"Both my grandmother and my mother were healers," Kale explained as he went back to picking rocks out of Jaeger's paw. "Over the years I've been taught by them how to create natural remedies of aches, pains, and ailments."

"Dad's been teaching me," Cody said, looking up from the paste in the bowl with a proud smile. "He says I have a knack for this kind of stuff."

Kale chuckled, looking over at his son before going back to what he was doing. "The poppy seeds wear off pretty quickly, but this will numb the area and alleviate the pain longer." He then reached into the first aid kit for a roll of tape, handing it over to Emily. "Could you pull off a strip of this for me? And Mia, could you get the cloth wrap ready?"

The two girls did as they were asked. Cody used his fingers to scoop the paste out of the bowl and spread it on Jaeger's raw paw, before Mia covered it with the cloth and Emily taped over it, making sure it would stay in place.

"Alright, that's everything I can do for now," Kale said as he got to his feet, "I can check him in the morning to make sure everything's ok, but as I said, I'd like to keep him here for a few days."

"Just make sure he doesn't change out of this form," Melody commented, giving her guardian a warning look. Jaeger silently widened his eyes. "He might use too much energy changing that could be used to help him heal himself."

"He'll be ok with us, don't worry," Cody said, wiping his dirty hands on his pants. "Do guys want to stay for dessert? We have plenty of ice cream and some pie."

"Pie?" Mike asked, his eyes widening. "I could go for some pie." He smiled, licking his lips, as he rubbed his stomach.

"Thank you, but we should get going," Jayden said with a small bow of his head. "We appreciate the offer, but Mentor's expecting us." He shook Kale's hand again. "Thanks again; for everything. We're glad we were able to return Cody to you."

"Thank you, Rangers," Kale replied, giving each of the Power Rangers a smile. "We're always here if you need us. Good luck in your fight against the Nighlok."

"You'll come back, right?" Cody asked, looking over at Mia. "We're friends, right?"

"Right," Mia replied with a fond smile. "We'll come back, don't worry. After all, we might need to use one of your epic ideas."

"Stay out of trouble, ok?" Emily said to Cody with a small smile. "We don't want to hear that you've gotten yourself stuck in _another _zord." Cody blushed, bowing his head and she gave a finger wave. "Bye."

The Rangers started down the shaded path towards the car and Jayden glanced back at the father and son as they made their way back into the house. Kale put his arm around Cody's shoulder and Cody leaned into his dad's side. Sighing, Jayden turned on his heels to face forward, following his friends.

"Jaeger will be ok, dude, don't worry," Mike was saying to Melody, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. "He'll bone back soon."

"I know he will," Melody replied, brushing her hair over her shoulders. "I've just never seen him that hurt before. I mean, it is a minor injury, and it was an accident, but it's kind of a wakeup call; he's not as invincible as I always thought he was."

Jayden stopped for a moment before he kept on walking. _I always thought dad was invincible…and now he's gone_. He shook his head, as if trying to actively knock the thought of out of his head, but a sick feeling rocked his guts.

"Dude, seriously, are you ok?"Antonio asked quietly, falling into step with his friend. "You look a little green."

"I'm fine," Jayden replied.

Antonio arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything for a moment. "Were you thinking about your dad?" Jayden blinked in surprise but didn't say anything. "It's easy to tell…you always have a…a look on your face. Like you've just lost your best friend or something." He then gave a goofy grin. "And I'm right here."

Jayden laughed. "I'm ok, Antonio," Jayden replied, clapping his friend on the shoulder. "You could even say that I'm golden."

* * *

"So, what are we going to do today?" Mia's question threw Jayden off guard over breakfast.

"What's so special about today?" he asked.

He quickly did a count in his head and realized that it was Valentine's Day. Mia looked expectantly at him, but he didn't know what to say or what answer she wanted to hear. Valentine's Day wasn't a big deal in his house, it never had been. He would get up early to train, like every other day, have a little nicer breakfast, and have a piece of chocolate for dessert. Other than that, he stuck to his normal day of training and healthy eating.

"I could make everyone a fantastic meal for dinner," Mia offered. She watched as everyone exchanged glances, trying not to look at her. "And I'll use a cookbook and follow a recipe exactly." Her eyes then lit up. "Oh! We could make dinner together, it could be fun."

"Or a disaster," Melody said before biting into a piece of honeydew melon. She chewed rapidly and then swallowed, wiping the juice from her chin with her napkin. "You know the saying; 'too many cooks spoil the salad'." She then shook her head. "Besides, I think people make too big a deal out of Valentine's Day."

"But, Valentine's Day is so romantic," Emily replied with a smile. "Too bad we haven't had time to really go out and prepare."

"That's exactly why," Melody replied, deadpan.

"Valentine's Day is hard for a guy," Mike said, leaning back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head. "Get flowers, get candy, get the perfect card. Girls expect too much." He threw his hands into the air. "Why focus all of that on _one _day when you have the whole year for it. Just give me some candy hearts and I'm good to go."

"Big surprise," Kevin muttered, stabbing at his eggs. "I think a dinner we all make will be a good idea."

"And Valentine's Day isn't just for people in love; it's for friends, too," Emily pointed out.

"Yeah, Antonio, for _friends," _Melody said, looking over at the Gold Ranger, stressing the word. Antonio merely shrugged and Jayden laughed a little bit.

"I want to do something special for all of you guys, but I haven't been able to think of anything," Emily continued as if Melody hadn't said anything. Her eyes then lit up. "How about a horseback ride on the beach?"

Melody and Mike made groans of protest, Melody the loudest out of the two of them. "Leave it all to me, mi amigos," Antonio said, patting himself on the chest. "I've got a heart of gold after all; leave all the dinner plans to me. I have a new fish recipe I've been wanting you all to try out for a while."

Jayden sighed, tapping his finger nails on the side of his mug of tea. He watched the steam rise out of his cup. He wasn't stupid; he noticed how everyone seemed to be pairing off in the house. He thought back to the words that Melody had said shortly after she arrived at the Shiba House. A_fter a while, living with a member of the opposite sex, your feelings are bound to change at one point or another. _

He wondered if that was what was going on, but didn't want to ask about it in case he would have to enter into an awkward conversation. He never had to deal with anything like that before and he wasn't going to start. _There's a reason we have rules around here_, he thought, _it's to keep us from being distracted. Surely, they can understand that_. _But, at the same time, we all do deserve to have more fun around here._

"We'll think of something," he finally said, jumping into the conversation, "but, I think we should do something for Mentor. To thank him for everything he's done for us." _For me. Mentor's always been there for me. I don't think I've ever actually thanked him._

"That's a great idea," Mike said with a grin. "Maybe we can butter him up enough for him to give us another day off. Or at least let us off afternoon training a little early."

"Yeah, right," Kevin replied with a roll of his eyes.

"I'll talk to him," Jayden offered, pushing his cup of tea away from him. He was aware that everybody was giving him odd looks. But, he had an idea; one that he hoped he could make work. "I'll see what I can do."

"Why even bother?" Mike asked. "You know that's not going to work."

"Would you like some cheese with that whine?" Melody asked, causing everyone at the table to start laughing. Even Mike couldn't help it. "I've had my fair share of bad Valentine's Days, but it's a fun day. Everyone deserves to feel special on a day that's _not _your birthday."

"But, it's not special when girls _expect_ it," Mike said with a sake of his head. "Women."

"Men!" Mia and Emily shot back in unison.

Sighing, and not wanting to listen to what would inevitably become an argument, Jayden quickly finished his tea, trying not to burn his tongue, before putting it in the sink. He then made his way to Ji's office, knocking on the door before he was beckoned inside.

"Everything ok?" Mentor asked as Jayden sat down in one of the hairs facing his desk.

"Yeah," Jayden replied with a slow nod. "They just…they want to know, since today's Valentine's Day, if they could have the day off or something."

Mentor blinked in surprise. "Is it Valentine's Day already?" he asked, before rolling over to the calendar on his wall. "Oh, it is." He then turned back to face Jayden. "With the new Shogun Mode, I suggest we train as much as possible. It was really draining for you, right?" Jayden silently nodded. "You should at least get some conditioning done for the day, but you can end training early." Jayden nodded again, but didn't make a move to get up. "Is there something else?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be out for a while," Jayden replied after a moment of silence. "They all want Valentine's Day to be special." He shrugged. "I don't really understand why, but I figured I'd do something for them."

Mentor sat back in his chair, peering at Jayden, and Jayden could understand why. He knew he had changed while the other Rangers had been in the house; he was more open, and more likely to joke around whenever there was a time for it, but holidays weren't ever a big deal for him. He always had his mind set on the mission and things like the holidays were relaxing and a nice change of pace, but it wasn't as important as the threat of the Nighlok returning.

And it was moments like this that made Jayden feel more like an outsider than he ever had before. All of the other Rangers had grown up differently from him. He didn't understand all of their references and jokes about popular culture, but he was there whenever they were having a hard time figuring anything out sword fighting wise or anything that had to do with the Nighlok.

But, he knew that they were sacrificing way more than he ever was and wanted to give back to them. "I won't be out long, I just wanted you to know that I was leaving for a little while."

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Mentor asked, a worried look crossing his face. "Are you sure everything's ok?"

"Yeah," Jayden replied with a nod, "I'm sure."

He then pushed his chair back and left the office in search for everyone. He made his way into the kitchen, nearly colliding with Antonio who was packing his fish cooler. Melody was sitting at the table with some paints, carefully painting a heart onto a piece of paper.

"Is that for me?" Antonio asked Melody as he closed the lid to his cooler, moving to get a closer look over his shoulder. He wiped away an imaginary tear. "It's beautiful, but you shouldn't have. I didn't get you anything."

Melody laughed. "No, it's for Cody," she replied, laying down the paintbrush in her hand next to her. "Mia and Emily are going to sign it, too. We thought it'd be a good idea to make him a card. He's probably never gotten one from someone else besides his dad. We just want to show him that we care." She then looked at Antonio over her shoulder. "Here, sign it too. So it'll be from all of us." She waved a pen in his face.

"Nah, it sounds more like something from you girls," Antonio replied with a shake of his head.

"Guys," Jayden said, walking over to the corkboard that sat on the wall by the refrigerator (which held a hook for car keys, and had a chart to indicate who had what chore for the week). "Mentor says we can get off afternoon training early today."

"Fantastico!" Antonio said with a grin. "I have extra time to go fishing then. Either of you two want to join me? It gets pretty lonely out there all by myself."

"That's not filled with, like, champagne and candles is it?" Melody asked, warily eyeing his fish cooler. "I might take you up on your offer, that way I bring some fish to Jaeger when I check to see how his paw is doing, but not if that's what you have stashed in there."

"No, no candles, but that's a good idea," Antonio replied, a thoughtful look on his face. He laughed as Melody mimed elbowing him in the stomach. "Just kidding, chica."

Jayden silently watched the exchange before speaking up. "Count me out," Jayden replied, swinging the car keys around his finger. "I'm going out for a little bit; I'll be back soon."

"Where are you going?" Antonio asked, "Do you want some company?"

"No, thanks," Jayden replied, turning to face his friend. "I'm just running some errands. I'll be back in time for training." As he turned to leave, he heard Melody mutter, "he's been acting strange lately" and Antonio reply;"He'll be ok. He's just got some things on his mind."

_If only you knew_.

* * *

Emily let out a long sigh as she watered the lush green flora planted around the Shiba House. It was her chore for the week, one she didn't really prefer as it meant spending time out in the hot sun, but it was also pretty boring. She also had a lot more watering to do as when Mike had the job, he barely remembered to do it.

The sun was starting to set, bathing the earth below in warmth and golden light. Birds sang in the trees, and a gentle wind blew, cooling Emily off from time to time. Flowers of all different kinds bloomed getting ready to turn in for the night.

She loved being outside, but it was times like this, and when she was helping Kale with the chores at his place while Cody was gone, did she really have the time to sit down and think about her family. She had seen how Kale looked when he found that Cody was suddenly snatched away from him; she wondered if that was how her family felt, despite knowing that she was taking over the role of the Yellow Ranger from Serena. That must've hurt her as well, having trained that long and hard just to be sick. But, Serena wouldn't admit that, she was way too worried about Emily and how she would be while living in the Shiba House.

"Hey, Em! Come inside for a minute," Kevin called out into the backyard.

"Coming," Emily replied, setting down the watering can, wiping her wet hands onto her jeans.

She sighed, heaving into the house, and stopped short when she her friends sitting around the table, and that a single yellow rose was sitting at her spot at the kitchen table with a note attached, spelling her name in a neat handwriting. She walked over to it and grabbed the note, flipping the card open. It simply read: _Happy Valentine's Day; -Antonio, Jayden, Kevin, Mike, and Mentor_.

She looked around the table and saw that Mia had a pink flower sitting at her spot, and Melody had a purple one. Emily smiled, delicately peeled the plastic bag away from the rose and closed her eyes she breathed deeply. The pollen tickled her nose as she hurried to find a vase to fill with water and to set the flower in. Her first Valentine's Day rose, and it wasn't a plastic one.

She did feel somewhat guilty looking at it though. She hadn't had enough time to get anyone anything. And there were so many choices; white flowers, pink, red, yellow, plastic, real, dark chocolate, white chocolate, milk chocolate—the options had swirled around in her head. But, nevertheless, the gesture made her smile.

"It's about time!" Mike, said, slapping his hands down on the table before he started rocking back andf forth in his chair. "It's been sitting out for a while now." He then looked at his watch. "Jayden should be here, soon."

"Is that what we're waiting for?" Melody asked, looking up from her cell phone where she was playing a game. "Where is he anyway?" She got silence in reply.

"It's a nice rose," Emily spoke up to cover the silence. She was curious as to where Jayden went, but she had seen something like this happen before. Shortly after Serena got sick, her dad would often leave the house for hours on end without telling anyone where he was going, and come back later, sometimes empty handed, and sometimes with a gift for both her and Serena. "Thanks. Mike, I thought you said Valentine's Day was a waste."

"It is," Mike replied simply, "but you girls are worth it. We ordered the flowers a little while ago. Mel's had to be specially done because of some dyeing job or something." He shrugged. "Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day."

"You too, but I didn't get you anything," Emily replied.

"Don't worry about it, Emily," Kevin said, waving his hand in the air. "Valentine's Day snuck up on all of us. And like Mike said, you girls deserved it."

"Mike being considerate for once?" Antonio asked with a fake gasp. "Living with females has changed you, dude."

"Antonio, be nice," Mia warned.

"Whatever," Mike replied, setting the four legs of his chair on the floor. He then crossed his arms and rested them on the table, resting his chin on his arms.

Emily's eyebrows narrowed slightly. No one else probably caught it, but she noticed the flicker of sadness in his eyes before he started to look around the room. _I wonder what's wrong_. She wanted to ask, but knew it was a bad idea to do so in front of everyone else. And, she was saved with the front door opening and closing shut. Jayden was back.

"Mentor, could you come into the kitchen, please?" Jayden's voice wafted over to the Rangers moments before he appeared, carrying a large box in his arms. He then set it down on the table and drummed his fingers on top of the box, waiting for Mentor to join them.

"Ok, I'll bite," Antonio said, grinning at his pun, "what's in the box, Jay?"

"You'll see," Jayden replied. He smiled as Mentor came into the room. "So, I know you guys wanted to celebrate Valentine's Day, but the holiday was never really a big deal for me. But, um, yeah, I just wanted to do something for you guys. I know you sacrificed a lot to join my team, so…thanks." He pulled open the tops of the box before handing out color coded bags. They each had an envelope with a card attached to the front.

"Wait a minute…" Mia said as she took off the card. "Is that…my mom's handwriting?" She looked over at Jayden, eyes wide.

_No way. _Emily quickly looked at her own card. Her jaw dropped slightly when she noticed the familiar looping of Serena's handwriting. She felt a smile come to her face when she spotted the end of the 'Y' in her name curve up to make a heart. Serena always spelled Emily's name that way.

"Hey, it's from my dad," Melody said with a smile, opening her card. She silently read it for a few moments and then started to laugh, before turning it around to show them a purple paw print on it. "And they got my dog to sign it too."

"These are really from our parents?" Kevin asked, staring at the card in his hands. He hadn't opened his yet, but stared at his name on the front. "_Really_?"

"With Mentor's help, I went to your homes today to get your family to sign your cards," Jayden explained, "they also helped me figure out what candy to get for you guys as well." He paused, chewing on his bottom lip. "I hope you like it."

"Jayden, you didn't have to do that," Emily said, looking over at the clearly uncomfortable Red Ranger. She gave him a reassuring smile. _He's really changed since we've been here_.

"Oh, yes, he did!" Mike cried as he practically ripped his bag open, letting out an "Ah ha!" of triumph when he pulled out a pack of Peeps. "Oh sweet, sweet, sugar. How I've missed you." He kissed the package and then laughed when he realized that they were green. "Awesome."

"I guess I can make an exception for the day," Kevin said, smiling down at his blue peeps before retrieving a box of Jolly Ranchers. "I can taste these already."

"Sweedish Fish," Antonio said with a laugh, shaking his head. "I should've known. My dad thinks he's funny."

"At least we know where you get your humor from," Mike said, biting the head off one of his peeps as he continued to dig through his bag.

"Aren't you going to open your card?" Mia asked, motioning to the abandoned card on the table.

"I'll read it later," Mike replied absentmindedly.

Emily looked over at him from the assortment of goodies (yellow peeps, peanut m&ms, and a bag filled entirely of yellow Skittles) that she was sent from home. She was the only one who really knew that Mike didn't have the best relationship with his dad. He looked up and locked eyes with her and she quickly bowed her head. She smiled when she saw that cookies were included into the package. Her favorite: double chocolate with white chocolate chips.

Emily then reached for the card, flipping it open. Something slipped out and she quickly caught it. Flipping it over, she came face to face with a picture of her mother, her father, and Serena, and Serena looked as healthy as Emily has ever seen her. They were all sitting on a fence, smiling brightly at the camera. At the bottom of the picture her mother had written in her slanted handwriting, "We miss you."

"Emily," Jayden said, snapping her out of her thoughts. She jumped when she realized he was standing by her chair, looking down at her. "There's something else for you."

"Dude, no fair!" Mike cried. "Does she get like extra peeps or something?" Beside him, Kevin rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. Everyone else stopped what they were doing to hear what he had to say.

"You can really thank Mel for this one, as one of her conditions for agreeing to come back was this, but I know you've been worried about Serena lately, and Mentor and I talked it over, but we think it'd be a good idea for you to be able to go home for a few days to visit her," Jayden said.

Emily felt her eyes widen and her jaw drop, but she didn't say anything. A range of emotions went through her; happiness, excitement, confusion, and then landed on worry. "What about the team?" she asked when she finally found her voice. "You saw how we were when Mel was gone. I couldn't—"

"Emily, we'd like to go with you," Mentor said, effectively cutting her off. "That is, if you have enough room in your house for all of us."

"Great! I mean, of course! I mean…_thank you_!" Emily cried, clasping her hands together. She then jumped to her feet, throwing her arms around Jayden's waist in a hug. He stumbled back a few steps to straighten himself before he quickly hugged her back. Emily then gave Melody and Mentor a hug, all the while grinning from ear to ear. "Best Valentine's gift, ever!

* * *

**A/N: **So, after watching the Megaforce episode today, I'll be uploading a Megaforce real soon fic. But, this is the kind of fic that I won't be "breaking my back" to update, so it'll probably be updated a bit slower than my other fics. It's a Emma/Gia friendship fic, but mainly set in the high school setting and is based off of the episode "United We Stand." (_This fic will NOT have Melody in it_).

For those of you asking if I'll do a Megaforce series, I'm not sure yet. I need to think of a really good idea for it, first. (_Maybe Melody could be a mentor to them, like JDF for Dino Thunder. But, I'm not 100% sure about an overall idea, yet._)

Hope you guys liked this chapter.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	27. Chapter 27: Emily's Family Farm

**~Chapter Twenty-Seven – Emily's Family Farm~**

* * *

"So, how much stuff should we pack?" Mike asked a week later, stepping back from his suitcase, scratching the back of his head. Kevin peered over at the Green Ranger's suitcase and snorted.

"Not _that_ much," he commented, shaking his head at the bulging suitcase. "What did you do, just throw your stuff in there?" He walked around Mike's bed and grasped the zipper, unzipping it. His jaw dropped when he saw the many handheld video game consoles, controllers, and game boxes haphazardly thrown on top of his clothes.

"Hey!" Mike cried, hitting Kevin on the arm. "It took me _forever_ to get this thing closed."

"Why am I not surprised?" Kevin asked, running a hand over his face.

Mike let out a huff of annoyance before making his way towards the door. Opening it, he leaned out into the hall and shouted, "Mel!"

"_What_?"

"I need your ass!"

"…._That's a weird way to put it, but, I'm coming_."

Kevin rolled his eyes, shaking his head from side to side as he hear footsteps pounding down the hallway. Melody rounded the corner, carrying a basket of clothes under one arm. "Just in time too, your clothes just got done."

"Excellent," Kevin said with a smile, moving to take the basket of clothes from her.

Melody blinked and pointed at Mike's open suitcase. "Who opened it?" she asked.

"Kevin," Mike replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't you know how long it took us to get this closed in the first place?" Melody let out a heavy sigh as Mike grabbed the top of the suitcase and pulled it down, getting ready to zip together. Melody climbed on top of his bed before sitting down on his suitcase as he struggled to pull it shut.

"You don't need all that stuff out in the country," Kevin said as he carefully folded his clothes before placing them in his suitcase. He ran his hands over the clothes, smoothing them out. "We're only going for a few days; I'm sure you can last that long without your video games. In fact, you most likely won't have any time for itl with all the work we'll be doing to help their family out."

"Trust me," Mike said, struggling to slide the zipper over to shut his suitcase and Melody shifted her weight, trying to bring the two parts of the suitcase closer together, "I can _always_ find time to play video games. Just because you don't make time to go swimming, doesn't mean I can't make time for what I liked to do before I became a Ranger."

"I understand," Kevin said quietly and Mike stopped what he was doing for a brief moment, exchanging a look with Melody before the two of them looked over at Kevin. He has stopped what he was doing and was sitting on the side of his bed. "Video games are a normal thing for you; it was something you did every day. Training is normal for me; whether it's swimming or Samurai training. Video gamesyou're your link to home. It's ok to be home sick."

"I'm not homesick," Mike said shortly, before going back to doing what he was doing. He tugged on the zipper for a few times, letting out a big breath of air when it wouldn't budge. "Are you homesick, Kev?"

"Sometimes," Kevin said with a shrug. "Especially now with Emily; especially when Mel was able to go home." He clasped his hands together in his lap. "Sure, I'd love to go home, but this is more important to me than going home."

"If we don't succeed there will be no home to go to," Melody concluded and Kevin gave a nod.

"Exactly," he replied. He twisted his mouth to the side when Mike didn't say anything. "You ok, Mike?"

"Fine," Mike replied shortly before he let out a cry of triumph when his suitcase was able to zip shut. Mel jumped off and he slapped the top of it, grinning. "There. Now, don't touch it again, Kev."

"Of course," he replied with a small eye roll. He looked over at the clock, sighing when he saw that it was almost 2 in the afternoon.

"You better hurry and finish packing; we'll be leaving soon," Emily said, practically skipping into the room, a backpack on her back.

"That's all you're bringing?" Melody asked, the shorter girl.

"Well, most of my stuff is still at home," Emily replied, her smile getting a little wider at the word 'home.' She brushed her hair over her shoulders. "I don't really need to bring clothes or anything. Anyway, my mom says that she wants us to meet someone while we're there." She then patted Melody on the shoulder. "Plus, we should check on Jaeger before we go."

"He's not coming with us?" Kevin asked, looking up.

"No, Kale called earlier and said that he ripped open his cut and it's gotten infected again," Melody said with a sigh. "I'm not that worried about it…he can put more energy into healing himself, but he's always been restless when he has to stay in one place for so long."

"Maybe if he gets better while we're gone, he can come visit," Emily said. "I want him to meet my family, too. They know all about him." She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. "I'm so excited. I'm going _home_! I can't believe you guys are coming with me."

"We're excited to meet your family too, Em," Kevin said, giving Emily a small smile. "Especially, Serena. With how you talk about her, I feel like I've already met her."

"At least your family isn't as crazy as mine," Melody said with a small laugh, moving to stand next to Emily, putting her arm around the Yellow Ranger's shoulders. "But, you all deserve to spend some time with your family."

"Nah, I'm good," Mike said, lifting his suitcase off his bed. He pulled on the handle, and rolled it out of the room as the girls stepped aside, watching him go.

Emily let out a heavy sigh, watching him go.

* * *

Emily watched as the trees shot past her window as she got closer and closer to her home. She was sitting in the passenger seat of the Shiba Family car, with Jayden in the driver's seat, Mia, Kevin, and Antonio were in the row behind them, and Mike and Melody sat in the back. Mentor stayed behind, just in case a Nighlok were to show up, and to head to the Rybecek land in case something happened with Jaeger that he could potentially help out with.

As the trees of the forest turned into the vast openness of farmland, she got more and more excited, and more and more nervous to actually be returning home. She had constantly gotten news from home stating how their farm was doing, how Serena was doing, and how the animals were. Blue sky touched the horizon and the tops of the trees and the sun was shining brightly in the sky; matching her good mood. Mountains rose up in the distance to meet the sky.

The car ride was quiet with everyone sleeping on and off, and Jayden occasionally asking for directions to her house. If someone was awake, Emily would answer any questions that they had, jumping from topic to topic, wanting to explain to everybody why she loved living in the country and about her home life before she got there.

"You can stop looking at me like that, you know," Emily suddenly said, turning to look over at Jayden. "I'm happy to be going home, but the Rangers and stopping Master Xandred are as equally as important as my family, if not even a little more nowadays. I'm going to be going back with you guys."

"I didn't say anything," Jayden said with a brief shake of his head.

"You didn't have to," Emily said with a small smile. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it. They always say things are ok at home, but ever since I was a kid, they've always withheld information from me. I'm a little worried I guess."

"I'm sure everything's fine," Jayden replied, briefly looking away from the road and over at her.

"Take a right here," Emily said in reply as they came up to a narrow turn off.

They pulled into a long driveway, making their way up to the home. Emily's smile widened by the second as she got closer to her home. The house was situated where it had always been. The gardens had bloomed with life, adding color to the white house. The windows were a little dirty and the curtains were closed. Two cars were parked in the driveway.

"We're here," Jayden announced, pushing his foot on the parking break, the cranking sound waking everybody up. He turned the car off and unbuckled his seat belt, opening the door and climbing out.

Emily heard everybody behind hear gathering up their stuff and getting out of the car, but she sat where she was, staring up at her home. She never thought she would be back so soon, but now that she was back, she didn't know if she could actually believe it. Her family was inside, but she was nervous about seeing them.

"Hey." Emily turned and saw that Mike was leaning against the car door, his arms resting on the window. "You ok?" He gave her a grin. "You should be happy; you're home."

"I am happy," Emily replied with a nod. Mike arched an eyebrow. "Really. I'm…I'm nervous about seeing Serena. My parents say she's getting better but…I still haven't actually seen her in a long while and…well, anything could cause her to get worse."

"You guys say that you're so close," Mike replied with a shrug, "maybe she'll get better knowing you're here."

"Yeah, yeah, that makes sense," Emily replied with a bright smile. Mike backed away from the door, pulling it open for her. Emily unbuckled herself and grabbed her backpack from the floor in front of her feet. "Thanks." She gave Mike a smile before slamming the door shut behind her.

"Does everybody have everything?" Jayden asked, swinging the car keys around his finger, before pointing the small remote at the car. "Last chance. Antonio?"

"Got all my stuff right here, amigo," Antonio said, shaking his shoulders to indicate the bag on his back before he slapped his hand on top of the lid to his fish cart and grinned.

Emily looked around, when she heard a door creak open. "Mom!" She turned on her heels and started running towards the front steps of her house, the ground crunching under her feet with each step she took.

A tall and slender woman stepped onto the front porch before hurrying down the stairs. The woman had lustrous blond hair, which glistened in the sunlight as she hurried towards her daughter, and wide, warm blue eyes. Her flawless skin and soft features made her face look graceful and open and sweet, and her elegant posture suggested that while she was proud of everything she's done for her family and with her family on the farm. She really did look like an older version of Emily.

"Oh, Emily," the woman said as Emily threw her arms around her mom's shoulders in a tight hug. "Oh, Emily, I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too, mom, so much," Emily replied, pulling back to look up at her mom.

Emily's mom cupped her cheeks in her hands. "You look thin, are you sure you're eating enough?" Emily, although she was smiling, rolled her eyes.

"Yes, mom, I'm eating enough," Emily replied with a small laugh. "I've just been working really hard lately. A lot has happened. I have so much tell you and dad and Serena."

"_Did someone say my name_?"

Emily looked over at the door, as it opened again and Serena walked out. Emily's breath left her as she gazed upon her sister as she slowly came down the stairs. "Hey, Serena," she said quietly.

"Hey, Squirt," Serena said, sounding annoyed, opening her arms towards Emily, "come give me a hug." Emily released her mom and tentatively walked around to Serena, giving her a gentle hug. "You're not going to break me, Em, hug me like you mean it."

Emily let out a short laugh at the comment, and hugged her sister tighter. "You look _great_," Emily said, realizing that she meant it. Serena did look great. In comparison to the picture she had received for Valentine's Day, it looked like she had put on some weight. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes sparkled. She looked great.

"Hi, you must be Jayden," Emily's mom said, walking over to Jayden, offering her hand. "I'm Ava Pirtle, it's really nice to meet you."

"Hi," Jayden said with a smile, shaking her hand in a firm grip. "Yes, I'm Jayden. And this is Antonio, Mike, Kevin, Mia, and Melody…Emily's teammates."

"She's told me all about you," Ava said with a warm smile, clasping her hands together. "I wish to welcome you all to my home, and I'm glad you were able to allow Emily to come home for a little while. I understand that it's hard for you all to be cut off from your families, but we all understand why you must stay away."

"If anyone deserves it, it's Emily," Mike said with a warm smile. "She's the heart of our team; always there to make sure we're having a great time…and not to pick on each other."

Emily smiled over at Mike before looking over at Serena, who had gently prodded her in the side. Serena was giving Emily a knowing look silently saying, _We're talking about this later_. Emily blushed under her sister's gaze, but didn't say anything in reply. She was just excited to be having sisterly talks again.

"Mom, where's dad?" Emily asked, turning towards her mother.

"He'll be back soon, sweetheart," Ava replied, stepping away from Mia after giving the other Rangers a hug in greeting. "He went into the farmer's market to sell some of our products this morning. But, I made sure he gets plenty of things for dessert tonight." She then waved her arms, ushering everybody inside. "Ok, into the house, come on! I'm sure you're all hungry; Serena has made some treats for you guys."

"_Treats_?" Mike repeated, perking up. He sniffed the air, rubbing his stomach. "I think I smell cookies." He started forward, letting out a choked cough when Kevin grabbed the back of his shirt, stopping him from charging into the house. "Dude, get off!"

"Have some manners, Mike," Kevin hissed into his ear.

"I _do _have manners," Mike cried, prying Kevin's hand from his shirt. He rubbed at the front of his neck. "It's also being rude if you _don't_ accept that kind of offer." He scowled at Kevin, stepping away from him.

"What's wrong with Mike?" Mia asked, adjusting the bag on her shoulder, falling into step beside Kevin. Kevin shook his head, watching the Green Ranger bound up the stairs, holding open the door for everybody.

"I don't know," Kevin replied with a shake of his head. "He's been acting this way for about a week now. I don't have the faintest idea what's wrong." He looked over at Mia, realizing that she was staring at him. "What?"

"I never thought you'd actually grow to _care_ about Mike," Mia said with a sly smile.

"Neither did I," Kevin replied, blinking in surprise when he realized that what Mia said was true. He couldn't help but smile a little bit. "I guess sharing a room with him isn't as bad as I thought it would be." He paused, pressing his lips together. "Don't tell him I said that."

"No problem," Mia replied with a small laugh, stepping over the threshold and into Emily's house. Emily was the last one in, taking a nice long breath, letting out a sigh of happiness.

_It smells the same, too_, she thought, moving to put her backpack at her spot at the kitchen table. "You guys can put your stuff anywhere," she said to her friends who were standing around the table. "My home is your home." She reached for the plate of cookies and grabbed a few of them before taking a large bite out of one.

"I'll show you around," Serena offered, adjusting her ponytail. "This house has ten bedrooms; four of which are already being used. So, everybody can have their own room if you'd like." Emily giggled when she saw the surprised looks on everyone's faces.

"We're just so used to sharing rooms," Emily explained to her sister, who was giving her a confused look. "That's all.

"We really don't mind sharing, Serena, it's not a problem," Mia said with a smile. She turned towards Ava. "Was that how you roomed at the Shiba House, Mrs. Pirtle?"

"Please, Mia, call me Ava," Ava replied with a smile. "It is, in fact. That's how your mother, Sadie, and I have become such good friends."

"I'm used to having my own room and used to sharing, so I don't really care which I get," Melody said with a shrug, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets.

"Oh, mom," Emily said, smiling over at Melody. "This is Melody Porter, the Purple Samurai Ranger. I've told you about her. She's the reason we were able to come." Emily quickly explained to her mom and Serena about Melody's dad and how she had left the team for a while, as well as how she came to be on the team, and her powers.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about your father," Ava said with a frown, putting a hand over her heart. "I know that must be so hard for you."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it," Melody replied quietly, although she didn't look to be sad or uncomfortable like she did in some cases when she talked about it. Emily was happy that Melody shared the news with them, and her heart went out to her teammate, but she could only imagine how hard it was for her. "I knew Serena was sick, but I didn't know really how bad it was. I thought it was only fair for Emily to have a chance to visit her family."

"And we thought we'd tag along, to give Emily some company," Antonio added with a bright smile. "You really have a beautiful home."

"Oh, thank you," Ava replied, flushing. "Serena and Emily will show you where you'll be staying, and where the animals are and everything. Once you're done with your tour, Len, my husband, should be back."

"Follow me," Serena said with a wave. She showed them around the house, pointing out the free rooms for the Rangers to take.

They decided to continue sharing, however Emily would keep her own room. Mia and Melody decided to share, Jayden and Antonio agreed to share, and everyone was surprised that Mike and Kevin said that they both had no problem continuing to share a room together. As they continued to take the tour around the house, they passed by a closed door, farther down the hall than the other rooms.

"What's that?" Mike asked curiously.

"It's none of our business, Mike," Kevin hissed automatically.

"That's just another spare room," Emily replied as the same time Serena said, "Mom and dad hired a kid to help work the farm while I've been recovering. That's where he sleeps. He and our dad are out at the market right now. They should be back soon."

_Hired help? _Emily thought with a frown. "Wait," she said, to her sister, a confused look crossing her face. "Mom and dad never hired anyone outside of the family to help before."

Serena gave Emily a pained expression, a frown on her face. "That's because we were always here," Serena replied quietly. "And I wasn't sick before." She looked uncomfortable as she looked at Emily. Emily on the other hand, was confused and worried.

"Who is it?" Emily asked quietly. Serena hesitated, opening and then closing her mouth. "Rena, who is it"

"…Cloud," Serena replied after a moment of silence.

Emily's eyes popped open. _No way_, she thought, her breath leaving her in a rush of air. "Cloud _McCoy_?" she asked in a low voice. "Mom and dad hired _Cloud McCoy_ to help out around the farm? I have to _live_ with him?" She threw her arms into the air. "Why doesn't he stay at his own house?"

"Emy!" Serena gasped, her jaw dropping.

"Who's…Cloud McCoy?" Antonio asked, slowly looking back and forth between the two of them. Emily was sure they could all feel the temperature drop at the revelation of the name.

Emily was surprised, confused and mad. "Cloud was one of the kids who used to bully me," Emily replied in a quiet tone.

"Uh, we'll just go and unpack," Mia said, grabbing Melody's arm, "_now._" She started dragging the Purple Ranger down the hall. The boys quickly went into different directions as well.

"Emy…mom and dad didn't have a choice," Serena said quietly, walking closer to her sister, lowering her voice. She glanced over towards the stairs, listening to the sound of clinking plates and silverware, mixed with their mother's humming for a moment. "Look, I know he was a jerk to you…"

Emily let out a sardonic laugh she didn't even know she had in her. "Serena, you don't understand," she said, putting a hand up before putting it on her face, shaking her head back and forth. "When it comes to Cloud McCoy, the word 'jerk' doesn't being to describe him." She shook her head back and forth. "He nearly ruined my life...and yours for that matter."

Serena briefly closed her eyes, letting out a breath of air. "He's changed while you've been gone, Emy," she said quietly, reaching out a hand, gently tugging on a lock of Emiily's hair. "I trust him. Now, I'm asking you to trust me. If he was bad news, I would've told mom and dad by now. He's been working hard, helping us with the farm." She let out a heavy sigh. "We lost a lot of money over the year, Em. Our farm is in danger."

Emily's jaw dropped. She was at a loss of words. Her family had _never _been in danger of losing money. "Sanzu River water?" she asked quietly and Serena slowly nodded.

"There were cracks around here…the water affected our crops pretty badly, but mom was able to seal them up," Serena replied in a grave tone. "We barely had anything to take into town. A lot of people's orders barely sufficed." She then gave a small smile. "But, we're doing ok now; thanks in part to you guys."

"And…does Cloud know about…?" Emily's voice trailed off as she tried to ask the one question she was kind of worried to get the answer about.

"No," Serena replied with a shake of her head, "she doesn't know about your and mom being Rangers. He doesn't know about the family Symbol Power, or anything about your friends besides just being you friends."

"I didn't know it was this bad," Emily said, feeling tears come to her eyes. "Why didn't anybody tell me?" It's just like how she felt all over again. No one ever told her anything of importance. She was always "too young" to be told anything, but was always promised by her parents that they would tell her "when she was older." _So, how much older do I have to be_?

"You've already had so much on your plate with the Rangers, we didn't want you to worry that things were going so badly at home," Serena said, pulling Emily to her in a tight hug. Emily closed her eyes, breathing in the familiar smell of pine and mint that was her sister. "I know you've always been worried about the farm, and it's not fair that we haven't told you everything, but I promise we were going to sit you down tonight and tell you what was going on. We just didn't want you to be stuck in—"

"Deciding whether I was going to stick with the Rangers or come home?" Emily asked as she pulled away, wiping at her eyes. "I've always been worried about what was going on at home…maybe it was better that I didn't know." _A lot better. _

"I know it's hard, Emy, but we've been bouncing back," Serena said with a reassuring smile. "We're going to be ok. It's just taking us some hard work from all of us." Emily's eyes widened slightly, looking at her sister. "I'm ok. I've gotten stronger and I've gotten my appetite back."

"Oh great," Emily said with a mock roll of her eyes, "less food for me." She gave a brief smile. "Although now you have Mike and Antonio's appetites to compete with."

Serena gave a tinkling laugh as car door slammed shut outside. "That must be them; dad and Cloud!" she exclaimed. Moments later, they heard a door open, followed by male voices. "Dad's home."She then sniffed the air. "Just in time, too."

"Hey guys," Emily called, quickly wiping her cheeks dry, "come meet my dad. He just got home." She bounded down the stairs, following the voices into the kitchen, skirting around the teenage boy before throwing her arms around her dad's waist. "Hi, dad."

"Ah, there's my Sweet Pea," Len said with a warm smile, placing a kiss on top of Emily's head. Hearing footsteps come down the stairs, he smiled as the Rangers made their way back into the kitchen, talking animatedly with each other. "Oh, I see our guests have arrived." He removed his hands from his daughter and offered his hand for each of the Rangers to shake. "Hi, I'm Len. It's nice to meet you."

He smiled and nodded, repeating the other Rangers' names when they introduced themselves to him. He then swept his arm over towards the teenaged boy who was quietly drinking a glass of milk. "And this young man is Cloud McCoy. He's helping us with the farm." Len looked over at Ava with wide eyes as she, repeatedly cleared her throat, giving him a pointed look. "What?"

"It's alright mom, I know," Emily said in a quiet tone. "Serena told me." She then turned towards Cloud, who had his eyes trained on her and gave a brief nod. "Cloud."

"Nice to see you again, Emily," Cloud replied and Emily blinked in surprise.

She could tell just by looking at him, that he had grown taller since she had last seen him. In addition to his new height, his voice had deepened. His voice used to crack all the time, but his words came out in a smooth tumble of words. He had some fuzz growing on his upper lip, and his chin looked slightly darker, showing the beginning stages of a beard.

Despite being sixteen when she left, Cloud looked more like a little boy with his round face, and body that seemed to be all arms and legs. She remembered the lopsided grin that would split across his face every time he would tease her or pull on her pigtails, or call her Curly Sue. But, what stood out to her the most was his eyes—a piercing amber that made anybody take notice of him the instant he put his eyes on you.

_Coyote Ugly_, she thought of her name for him; a combination of a description of his eyes, and what she thought of his personality.

"So," Ava said, clasping her hands together. "Is there anything in particular you all want for dinner?" She motioned to the oven. "I currently have a pie baking in the oven. We could have anything; just name it."

"I'll leave that up ta y'all," Cloud commented with a brief nod, pushing his chair back. "I'm going to go take a shower. It was nice meetin' ya."

"You guys can pick," Emily said to her friends, suddenly feeling tired. She watched as they all looked each other before announcing in unison that they wanted pizza. Then, Emily started to laugh. She laugher harder than she had laughed in the longest time. "Let me go change my shoes, and I'll show you around outside."

Emily hurried up the stairs and over to her room. She pushed open her bedroom door and instantly made her way over to her bed. She flopped face first onto her quilt, and she let out a sigh, running her fingers over the tasseled edges. She then sat up and faced the mirror across from her bed, getting a good look at herself. She ran her fingers through her straight hair and gave a brief smile when she took in how she looked.

She had gained muscles mass in her arms and legs due to the constant training, and she found when she did train she didn't get tired as nearly as fast when she first started out. Her straight hair, made her look less like a kid, and her tan made her eyes sparkle even more than they did before. She never took the time to actually notice how much she had changed during her time spent at the Shiba House, but she had. Most importantly, she didn't let anyone push her around anymore.

_I don't know whether or not Cloud has actually changed, but I'm not going to let him boss me around on my own farm, _she thought, kicking off her shoes, moving to find her work boots.

* * *

Emily smiled at the familiar creak of the front door opening, and the storm door slapping shut behind them. Everything about her house brought a smile to her face. She wondered when her cheeks would get frozen that way. She hadn't been this happy in a long time.

"Do you have any fishing places around here?" Antonio asked, hurrying to catch up with Emily.

"There's a pond filled with fish not far behind the house," Emily replied, turning around, walking backwards as she pointed in the direction, "big enough to go swimming as well. The lake isn't too far, and it's worth the trip, but in the very hot summer, we just stick close to the house."

"Excellente," Antonio said with a grin, rubbing his hands together. "Think your folks will let me try out a new recipe while I'm here?"

"I'm sure they would, just ask them," Emily replied with a nod. She gasped in delight when she heard a loud noise. "Ooh, that must be Olive." She looked over at Serena, hooking her arm through her sisters. "Remember when we got chased by him all across the front yard?"

Serena rolled her eyes, grabbing Emily in a headlock, giving her a noogie as she shrieked and laughed in protest. "Of course I remember, Squirt," she replied before letting Emily go, "it was _your _fault. Since you fell on him when we were trying to feed him. I told you that you were too little to do it."

"I wasn't too little," Emily protested as her friends stared to laugh. "_You _pushed me."

"This is going to be so much fun," Mia said with a smile, looking around the vast area. In the distance she could see horses running around behind a fenced off area. "I've always wanted to live on a ranch and learn how to ride horses and everything."

"Really?" Mike asked with a smirk, "I thought you always wanted a knight in shining armor to come rescue you in your time of need."

"That too," Mia agreed, shoving Mike on the shoulder, sticking her tongue out at him. "I just love being around animals, that's all."

Kevin made a gagging sound and grabbed his nose when they entered the pig pen. "Man, it stinks," he cried, waving the air in front of his nose. Emily looked over at him, giggling. "I mean…it's…well—"

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Emily replied, patting him on the arm. "Pigs and hogs like mud because it's a way for them to cool their bodies down since they don't sweat. The smell could also be slop."

"Oh my god, piglets," Melody squealed, rushing over to the gate. She smiled when a small pig made a squealing sound, walking over in her direction, poking his nose out of the space in the gate. "Oh my god, _they're so cute_." She paused and looked around at her friends as they stopped and stared at her at her. She cleared her throat, standing up, looking bored. "I mean…psh, they're just pigs. Whatever. They're cute, I guess."

"Nice save," Antonio said with a grin.

"Shut up," Melody replied instantly.

"What other animals do you have?" Jayden asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Pigs, chickens, horses, cows, goats, dogs, you name it, we've got it," Serena counted off on her fingers. "While Emily was here, she and I would take care of all the animals, while mom and dad worked on products to sell at the farmer's market. Since Emily left, I've stuck mainly to jobs close to the home while Cloud worked out here."

"I didn't realize," Emily said with a sigh, as they continued around the farm. "Everything changed since you got sick."

"Don't blame yourself, Emily, it's not your fault," Serena said to her sister.

_Yes it is_, Emily thought with a heavy sigh, nodding at Serena. _If I hadn't fallen for Cloud's trick, you wouldn't have gotten caught out in the rain. And then you wouldn't have gotten sick_.

But, when it came down to it, she knew that it was going to be hard for the family whether or not Serena got sick. If she was healthy, she would've been the one to go fight with the Rangers and Emily would've been the one at home trying to keep everything running smoothly at their house. And the extra hands did help, especially after hearing what had happened with the Sanzu River water. But, she wasn't expecting it; she never thought the affects of being a Ranger would've gotten that far out of the city.

"Hey, Emily," Antonio's call snapped her out of her thoughts.

She looked up and realized that they were at the fence surrounding the horses. The familiar clopping of their hooves on the ground, and the vibrations in her stomach, as they ran by brought back memories, much like everything else around her house.

"Yeah?" she asked, moving towards him.

"What kind of horses are they?" Antonio asked, motioning to the horses.

Emily smiled, quickly rattling off the names of the horses as well as what kind of horses they were. She smiled as they slowly walked over to her. She reached out a hand and petted one on the nose, and the other horses slowly walked over, wanting attention from the group of teenagers.

"It's kind of weird knowing that these horses aren't made out of symbol power," Kevin commented as he slowly slowly ran his fingers over the smooth nose of the tan Palomino in front of him. Emily was a little surprised to see that even Melody was petting one of the horses, but quickly noticed that it was one of the smaller ones.

She blinked when she didn't see Jayden or Serena and looked around, spotting them, a little farther down the ranch, looking as if they were in deep conversation. She could hear what they were saying, if she strained to hear it, blocking everybody else out.

"I can't say I wasn't surprised when Emily came to join us and not you," Jayden said, looking out towards the setting sun before looking back at Serena. "I'm glad to see you're doing better."

"I know this wasn't easy for you, Jayden," Serena replied after a moment of silence, giving him a nod of thanks, "but you've really risen to the challenge. I know Emily wasn't what you were expecting." Emily felt herself bristle, but she kept her mouth shut. "But—"

"But, she's proved time and time again that she can handle everything that's thrown her way," Jayden finished for Serena. "At the back of my mind I always wondered if you were to get better if you would rejoin the team."

"I did think about it when I got the all clear from my doctors to come home," Serena replied slowly, as if choosing her words carefully. "I don't know if you know, but I was sick with pneumonia for a while; which was complicated by other illnesses." She shook her head for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "I was mad that I couldn't go and finish what I was destined to do. I was mad that I was putting my sister in harm's way. I was always there to protect her and now she was the one who had to protect me. I couldn't handle it. I always tried to get up to leave; to find her."

_She never told me that_, Emily thought, frowning. _Why wouldn't she ever tell me that? We've never kept secrets from each other._

"But, the longer I was here, and the longer she was there, I came to realize, that something like this was supposed to happen," Serena finished. "I wasn't meant to join your team, Emily was. When I was learning to be a Samurai, whenever things got too rough, I always gave up. But not Emily, she kept pushing through until she could master whatever it was that she was trying to perfect." She let out a sigh, starting to smile. "Like I said; it was Emily's turn to protect me. She wasn't the same little kid that was always following me around when she left. And now she's grown to be someone I'm incredibly proud of. One that I know you're proud of too."

"I am," Jayden agreed with a nod, much to Emily's surprise. Jayden had shown more of his emotions and thoughts since the other Rangers joined him, but he still kept some of his more personal feelings to himself.

"And the Ape Zord always had a stronger bond with Emily than with me," Serena said with a fond smile. "This was supposed to happen. I'm glad Emily went to join you and the other Rangers. I just…Promise you'll keep an eye on her for me when you go back? Don't let anything happen to her." She gave a grin. "Or is that Mike's job?"

"I promise," Jayden replied evenly. "But, you have nothing to worry about. Emily is one of the strongest, and most improved fighters I've ever met and I'm glad to fight beside her."

Emily smiled.

* * *

**A/N: **I couldn't think of a good last name for the Rangers, unless it was already stated, so I just supplied in the actors' last names. I also used the casting sides names for Samurai, for one of their parents. For example, Ava Pirtle, for Emily's mother. For Kevin's father, his name would be Barron DeTiege. Kind of lame, I know. But, it also kind of fits.

I'm almost done with the first chapter to my Megaforce fic. It'll be up either tomorrow or Monday. Like I said, the Megaforce fic is one I'll be updating slower than my other two Power Rangers fics.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	28. Chapter 28: Clear and Present Danger

**.:Chapter Twenty-Eight – Clear and Present Danger:.**

* * *

_Er er er errrr!_

"Come on, get up," Emily said with a bright smile, pushing open the door to the bedroom that Mia and Melody were sharing, flicking the lights on and off rapidly.

"Stop!" Melody cried, pulling the blankets up over her head, curling into a ball. "You're going to give me a seizure."

Mia rubbed at her eyes, reaching over to the dresser to grab the clock. "Em, it's 5:30 in the morning," she said, holding back a yawn.

"And we have a whole day of things we have to do today," Emily replied, stepping into the room. "Mom's making breakfast. I can smell it now."

"It has to be against the law to look so happy this early in the morning," Melody mumbled, staring at Emily as if she had grown a second head. Emily laughed.

"Well, I'm looking after the horses today if you want to join me after breakfast," Emily said rubbing her hands together. "There's a lot to do around here. Just ask my mom or Serena if there's something you can help with."

"Mia, I heard you like to cook, maybe you'd like to help me today," Serena offered, coming into the room, tying a bandana around her head. "There's a little rodeo that some of the other local farmers are putting together, and we said we'd help out by making some food."

"I'd be happy to help you," Mia replied with a warm smile, sliding out of bed. "Just let me get changed." Emily and Melody exchanged worried glances, but didn't say anything.

"What are you going to do, Mel?" Emily asked as Melody rubbed her eyes, crouching down by her bag.

"I'm going to go fishing with Antonio, but when I get back, I'd be happy to help you with anything," Melody replied. "What's everyone else doing?"

"Jayden, Kevin, and Mike are helping dad and Cloud today," Serena replied. "Better get a move on, we have a long day today."

"We'll be down in a minute," Mia said, holding a shirt up in front of her, facing the mirror, looking to see if that was something she could wear.

Emily nodded, before turning on her heels, closing the door behind her. She and Serena made their way into the kitchen and greeted their mom with a kiss on the cheek. "Morning girls," Ava said with a warm smile, setting a plate of cinnamon rolls onto the table. "I hope you slept well, Emily."

"Like a baby," Emily replied, reaching for a roll, taking a large bite out of it.

"I'm surprised you got any sleep with how late you were giggling and gossiping all last night." Emily turned and spotted Cloud sitting at the table, a mug of hot tea sitting between his hands. He turned his amber eyes towards Emily. "Nice to see that hasn't changed."

"Thanks," Emily muttered, taking another large bite out of the cinnamon roll. "I think."

"So you're admitting that you were eavesdropping?" Serena asked, raising her eyebrows. Cloud took a long sip of tea.

"I doubt there'd be anything worth listening to," Cloud replied evenly, shooting Serena an amused look, "over your giggling. Near enough gave me a headache."

Serena rolled her eyes, shaking her head, but Emily was worried. She and Serena stayed up late talking about anything and everything. They had brought up the topic of the Samurai Rangers, but they really did make sure they were quiet about it. If he knew something about it, he wasn't showing any indication that he did.

"Get used to it," Serena replied and Cloud chuckled. Emily rolled her eyes.

"Eat up, Emily," Ava said to her daughter, putting her hand on Emily's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "There are eggs, bacon, biscuits, sausage, hash browns, fruit, and I was just about to make some orange juice. There's plenty for you and your friends."

"Thanks mom," Emily replied, licking the sweet sugar off of her lips. She grabbed a plate from the end of the table, and filled it with eggs, sausage, and a biscuit. She sat down at the far end of the table, and started to eat.

"Mmm, smells good, Mrs. P," Mike said, rubbing his stomach, licking his lips. He grabbed a sausage and shoved it into his mouth, chewing as he grabbed a plate, starting to pile everything onto it.

"Your friends might want to hurry up," Cloud commented, watching as Mike started to eat. "Breakfast around here is a 'get it when you can' type of thing.

_I know! _Emily thought, annoyed. She reached for the plate of bacon and shoved a strip into her mouth, chewing loudly. _I know how my family operates. _"Mike, want to help me with the horses today?" She knew that Mike was already going to be helping her dad and Cloud, but she didn't feel like being by herself that morning.

"That's a good idea," Cloud spoke up, earning a weird look from Emily. "Purdy just gave birth to a little colt shortly before you got back here. She's a bit more crabby than usual. Make things easier if you had help."

"Cloud's got a point, son," Len announced his presence as he came in through the back door, carrying a newspaper in his hand. He slapped he newspaper into his empty palm before clapping Mike on the shoulder. "Don't want my little girl to get hurt."

"Dad, I can take care of it," Emily reassured him, watching as Mike shook his shoulder, removing Len's grip on him.

"Don't worry about him," Serena whispered in Emily's ear, "he's been like that since you left. Also, Purdy gave me a nasty kick a little while back."

"Alright, we'll see you guys later," Antonio said with a smile, wheeling his fishing cart into the living room. "We've got some fish to catch."

"Em, we want to try our luck at the lake," Melody said to the Yellow Ranger, "could you give us direction to get there?"

"Sure, no problem," Emily replied, getting up from her seat to look for a pen and paper as Kevin and Jayden sat down at the table, helping themselves to some food. "Just be careful while you're out there; cell reception is spotty. And be sure to wear sunscreen."

"You think she's kidding," Serena commented, seeing the amused look on Antonio's face, "but we've had a few people get carted off to the hospital due to heat stroke." She shook her head, running her hand over her bandana. "I wouldn't take that warning lightly; it can be pretty hot, even this early in the morning."

"Em, I'd be happy to help you out," Mike said, answering her question from before. "What are we going to be doing today?"

Emily open and closed her mouth. _How do I answer that? He might not want to now_. "Oh…just, grooming, mucking stalls, and feeding," Emily replied slowly as she wrote down the directions to the lake on the back of an envelope. "Maybe cleaning the toughs, too."

"Might as well get started," Mike said, pushing his chair back. He stuffed a few more pieces of bacon into his mouth, chewing quickly. "Geeb vuh way."

"Atta boy, son," Len said with a loud bark of laughter clapping Mike on the back. Mike gave a brief nod of his head, continuing to silently chew.

"Anybody else want to come fishing?" Antonio asked, looking around at everybody. "Jay? You haven't gone with me for a while. It'll be fun."

"Next time," Jayden said with a brief shake of his head, "I don't want to bail on Len and Cloud."

"Suit yourself," Antonio replied with a shrug. He took the directions from Emily, gave a short wave, and followed Melody out the front door, heading down the driveway to the Shiba family car.

"Breakfast was great, mom," Emily said, pushing her plate away from her. She then grabbed Mike's arm, pulling him out of the house. "What's up?"

"What do you mean?" Mike asked, jumping off the porch, landing on his feet at the bottom. Emily peered at him as she made her way down the stairs.

"You've been acting…weird," Emily replied with a frown. "Even for you." Mike shrugged, following her across the lawn to the horse stables. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yep," Mike replied with a nod.

"Mike, I know that's not true," Emily said with a shake of her head. "Come on, you can tell me.

"It's really nothing, Em, just drop it," Mike said with a shake of his head. He then gave her a bright smile. "So, I bet you've missed your horses and everything, huh?"

_What is it he's not telling me_? Emily thought with a shake of her head. _We tell each other everything_. "Symbol power horses have less the mess, but I miss the real thing sometimes," came out of her mouth. She made her way over to one of the troughs, sitting by the doors of the stables and made a face. "These need to be emptied, scrubbed out, and re-filled."

Mike must've heard the groan in her voice, as he looked warily at the trough then over at her. "How many are there?" he asked, sounding like he already knew, and was dreading, the answer.

"On this whole farm?" Emily asked, rubbing her chin. "Maybe…ten….all spread out." Mike glanced at the trough, looking like he was going to quit then and there, but shrugged, grabbing a rubber bucket that was lying on its side. _Looks like it hadn't been cleaned in a while. Why didn't anyone else do it?_

"So, this Cloud guy, not your favorite person in the world, huh?" Mike asked, dumping out some of the water that was in the bucket he held.

Emily twisted her mouth to the side as she stood at the edge of the trough.

With her nose scrunched and her eyes closed, Emily stuck her hand in the ludkewarm water, leaning farther and farther in, the water nearly reaching her shoulder. A few leaves floated along the top and immediately clung to her arm as her fingers wrapped around the plug. She gave it a hard yank, soaking the front of her shirt. The sudden motion of the plug working free, knocked her off balance, and she fell back onto her butt onto the hard ground. .

The water made soft gurgling sounds as it drained from the trough. Mike peered into the trough and dry heaved, holding his arm over his nose. Leaves, branches, hay, and wet grass were clumped to the bottom. Emily watched as the water flowed out of the bottom of the wooden water holding, splattering on the ground.

"You ok?" Mike asked, turning to look at her, offering her his hand. "God, you're still a klutz. I thought you got over that."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Emily replied, grabbing his hand, allowing her to be lifted to her feet. _Way to go, Em. _She brushed off the seat of her pants, peering into it. "We need a shovel and maybe a brush and some baking powder and—what?"

"Uh, nothing," Mike said turning his head away. Emily peered at him, a confused look crossing her face. He was scratching the back of his neck, shuffling his feet from side to side, something he only did when he was embarrassed. "It's…well, you're kind of…your shirt."

_My…shirt_? Emily looked down at her white t-shirt and noticed the yellow fabric of her bra through the wet shirt. _Oh_. She gasped, crossing her arms over her chest, feeling her cheeks burn.

"Don't worry about it," Mike said, trying to hide the grin that was making its way over his face. Emily scowled at him and he put his hand up defensively. "You're right it's not funny."

"You're such a…a _guy_!" Emily said, stomping her foot.

"Thanks for noticing," Mike deadpanned before he pulled his shirt up over his head. "Here, you can cover up with this. Don't say I'm not generous."

Emily blinked rapidly when she caught his shirt in her hands. _Oh, wow. _Her eyes yes followed the strong muscles in his shoulders, down past a light pink nipple, and to his belly button which was situated deep in a set of rock-hard abs, and further down to the waist band of his jeans which covered the line of small light brown hairs that started right below his navel.

"Don't be embarrassed," Mike said, his voice snapping her out of her thoughts and she quickly pulled his dark green t-shirt on over her shirt. She smiled as she breathed in his scent; Old Spice and sugar. "You haven't answered my other question, though." Mike then started to scrape the bucket through the muck at the bottom of the trough.

"He's…the reason Serena got sick," Emily replied after a moment of silence. "He's been picking on me since we were kids. I've known him forever. One day he lured me out of the house to apologize for whatever it was that he picked on me for that week. It started to rain and I got lost in the woods." She stepped up beside him. "I was out there for hours before finding my way home. I didn't know that Serena was out the whole time looking for me. She got pneumonia for being out there for so long. I was so stupid for believing him in the first place."

"Oh," Mike replied shortly, stopping in what he was doing. "I'm sorry." The two of them were silent for a while. "That explains so much."

"What do you mean?" Emily asked quietly. Mike rested his hands on the side of the trough, before turning his head to look at her.

"Remember when you spit water in my face, after you fell onto the bag of peas?" Mike asked, his eyes glittering with amusement. Emily felt her face burn even more. It was a moment she tried hard not to replay over and over again. She thought the peas stuck to her face was bad, but she had actually _spit in Mike's face_. "And I told you to stop talking badly about yourself?"

Emily slowly nodded. _Where is he going with this_?

"You need to stop blaming yourself," Mike replied, straightening, crossing his arms over his chest. "Serena sure as hell doesn't blame you for what happened. She's too busy being proud of you to blame you for her getting sick. And from what I gather, she was looking out for you."

"That's just it…she _always_ looks out for me, being my sister," Emily said with a shake of her head. "And when she needed me to be a sister for her, I wasn't here. I was right before; I'm always messing things up. I make everything worse." She threw her arms into the air. "I wasn't here to help them out. Instead the farm is going South, they hired Cloud McCoy of all people in the world to help out, and Serena looks like she could snap at the slightest touch. Oh, and to top it all off, there's still that one Nighlok out there that can invade our dreams and-"

A blast of cold water, hit her in the face, ripping a shriek from her throat. Emily lifted her hands, trying to stop the water from hitting her in the face. She gaped at Mike when the water suddenly stopped, and she spotted the watering hose in his hands.

"You need to lighten up, Em, you're starting to get as bad as Kev," Mike said with a grin, folding the hose to to the water from coming out. "You think badly about yourself too much, and you rely too much on other people's approval. You really need to start being happy about yourself and everything you've accomplished since you've joined the team. It's not good to talk about yourself like that; give yourself a break."

"You are so – "

He doused her again. A second shriek emanated from Emily as the blast of water suddenly hit her. Emily could hear Mike's laughter over the sound of the water hitting her in the chest. She blindly reached forward, trying to pull the hose out of his hands, but he was stronger than her, and easily kept it out of her hands. Emily was surprised to hear soft giggles in the back of her throat, quickly building into full blown laughter.

"I'm just trying to help!" Mike said over the water, "You'll thank me later."

"Stop it!" Emily cried, shielding her face, and Mike did as she asked. "I don't know how you do that." She gathered her wet, stringy, hair into her hands, wringing out the water. Mike blinked, a curious look crossing his face. "How you can always make me feel better whenever I'm feeling down."

"It's a gift," Mike replied, turning off the hose. "But, seriously; stop worrying about what others think about you, just focus on what you think about yourself."

_Easier said than done_, Emily thought, starting to wring the water out of the green shirt. "Why did you want to help me today?"

"Because you looked down," Mike automatically replied, dropping the hose to the ground. He paused for a moment. "And because the idea of lifting bales of hay with your dad didn't sound all that interesting. And because I'm not his 'son'." He used air quotes around the word, his upper lip curling.

Emily's jaw dropped slightly. "Is _that_ what's bothering you?" she asked quietly. "That my dad calls you 'son'? He calls every boy that."

"It's…everything family related," Mike said with a shake of his head. "It's…just forget it."

"Mike—"

"Am I interrupting something?"

_Yes, _Emily thought, turning to face Cloud as he walked over to the two of them. "I thought you went into town with my dad," Emily said, sliding her hands into her jeans pockets. Cloud glanced back and forth between the two of him, his eyes staying on Mike for a moment before looking back at her.

"I wanted to talk to you," Cloud said, removing the hat from his head, fanning his face. "If that was ok?"

"Feel free," Mike said, putting his hands up, backpedaling towards the barn. "Talk away."

"I wanted to apologize to you," Cloud said once the two of them were alone, shifting his weight from foot to foot, "for everything I did to you when we were kids. It was insensitive, and I was a jerk, and I have no excuse for it. It was just…I had a lot of problems at home and didn't know how to deal with it."

"So you thought picking on me was the way to handle it?" Emily asked, her upper lip curling. Just seeing him brought back so many memories of when she would run home, holding in her tears, begging and pleading not to go to school the next day, always looking over her shoulder.

"At the time, I did," Cloud replied with a nod. "I felt horrible with what was going on, but I could make people feel worse, and that made me feel better. It was really easy; I just knew that you took what anyone thought of you to heart." He let out a big breath of air. "My family lost their farm." Emily's eyes widened. The McCoy's were some of the most prosperous families around town. Everybody knew of their award winning vegetables, and larger than average crops.

"My parents are a wreck; they're barely hanging on. So, after Serena got sick and you left, I started working here, trying to bring home whatever money I could get. But, while I've been here, I've been thinking about you. Not knowing how you were getting on…living away from home…"

"It's been fine, honestly," Emily replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Leaving home – not as much. But, I like it where I am now."

"Are you going to come home?" Cloud asked. "To stay?"

"…Not yet," Emily replied, brushing her hair behind her ears. "I've still got a lot I need to do. I think I'd rather stay there for the moment."

"I just…I feel like I ran you out," Cloud said, scratching the back of his neck. "I know what I did to you was a cruel trick. I was an immature kid, and I was mad. I didn't know Serena was going to get sick. I didn't know she was going to go out, looking for you."

"Serena's my sister," Emily said slowly, feeling her anger quickly rise. "Of course she would come looking for me! She's always looked out for me, because of you and your stupid, stupid friends. I was a constant source of laughter for you, wasn't I?" Cloud shifted his gaze from her to the ground.

"Just go back to helping my dad. I was perfectly content out here until you decided to grace me with your—I'd like to point out, very _unwelcome_—presence." Cloud gaped at her. "I'm not the little girl you used to pick on who never stood up for herself. I've learned that what I think about myself is more important than what others think about me. I've learned to give myself a break every now and then."

"Do you still have that scar? From where I threw a pebble at you down at the lake?" Cloud suddenly asked.

"It was a rock," Emily said, slowly shaking her head. _What does that have to do with anything? _ "Why do you care about that now? You had no problem throwing it at me before, not caring about what happened to me."

"I just want to clear the air between us," Cloud said with a heavy sigh. "Your time away from here…it's obviously taught you a lot of things. You're not going to take shit from anybody, including me. I expect you to be mad at me. I just wanted to apologize for everything. You've always had the family I wanted, parents that actually paid attention to you, and a sister. I've always wanted to have a brother or a sister."

"So what was I? A stand in?" Emily asked.

"You were just there," Cloud replied, slowly blinking his amber eyes. "It drove me nuts how you could feel like crap because of what I did and Serena would be around to make you feel better. I wanted someone around to help me through my problems but I didn't have that." He shook his head, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "When I heard that Serena got sick…I didn't know what to do. I felt so guilty, I couldn't think straight. Anyway, I apologize; I'm sorry for everything I did to you."

"You didn't run me out of the city, Cloud," Emily said, "I had to go for other, personal, and important reasons. I can't say that I wasn't happy to leave my past behind. I'm much happier there than I've ever been. Everybody's been really friendly, and helped me settle in and everything."

"Like Mike?" Cloud asked and Emily could feel her cheeks heat up.

"Especially, Mike," Emily replied with a nod. "He never treated me like a little kid. He was the first to accept me."

"You've donethe one thing I couldn't do. You plucked up the courage and left. Something I wish I could've done a long time ago," Cloud said with a hint of a smile. "But, I guess I did kind of do that. I didn't leave the country, but I was able to leave my house for this. I kind of got the family I've always wanted."

"That doesn't mean you can pick on me again," Emily said in a warning tone, pointing her finger at him. She broke into a hint of a smile. "Or, I'm going to have to be like a pesky little sister to you."

"With your giggling last night you're well on your way, there," Cloud replied with a roll of his eyes. Emily rolled hers as well. "It's nice to see you again, Em. I hope we can be friends."

"I accept your apology, Cloud," Emily said, "and I want to thank you for helping my family. I can only imagine how hard it's been. You've really been helping them out while I've been gone." Cloud placed his hat back on his head, tipping it slightly before turning on his heels, making his way back to the house.

"Hey, wait." Cloud turned around to face her. "What was it that killed your crops?"

"It was the strangest thing," Cloud said with a shake of his head, looking troubled, "this red water started seeping over our land. Small patches here and there, then they became more frequent. We drilled into the ground, had poison control and everything out here." He shrugged. "Couldn't save the plants."

_Sanzu River water, _Emily thought in shock, watching him go for a moment before making her way into the stables. "I can't believe it."

"Everything ok?" Mike asked, catching her attention. He was standing on a bale of hay, running a brush over a gelding's flank.

"Yeah," Emily replied with a nod, her head swimming. "Cloud apologized for all the times he picked on me and bullied me when we were younger. His family lost their far and are barely making ends meet. He works here to help pay for their bills." She leaned against a wooden stall, crossing her arms over her chest. "He said I've changed while I've been gone. Have I?"

"Well, you're not as clumsy as you used to be," Mike commented and Emily laughed a little bit. "But, yeah, you've changed; in a good way. You were always so timid when you first got here, but now you've opened up to everybody. It's like I said before; you're the heart of our team. I meant it before and I meant it now."

"You missed a spot," Emily replied, placing her hand on top of Mike's moving it over to a spot that he didn't brush. "They lost their farm due to Sanzu River water." Mike stopped what he was doing, turning to look at her, his eyes narrowed. "Same thing's happening here."

"We have to stop Master Xandred," Mike said, lowering his arm. The horse gently bumped the side of his face with its nose. "And we have to tell Jayden. There could be a larger pool around here somewhere."

"_So you know about it_?"

Mike and Emily whirled around to see Antonio and Melody hurrying into the barn, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down their faces. "The lake…Sanzu Water is seeping around it," Antonio said, breathing heavily, a hand to his chest. He used his free hand to fan his face.

"We think it's killed some of the fish or at least…caused them to mutate," Melody added, nodding her head towards the stable doors. "The fish don't look right. We brought it back here for you to check it out." She flickered her eyes over at Mike and then back at Emily, her lips twitching into a brief smile.

Emily blushed for the third or fourth time that day, suddenly remembering that she was still wearing Mike's shirt. "Let me see," she said, brushing past the Purple Ranger muttering an, "I'll tell you later" as she passed. She hurried out to Antonio's fish cooler, opened the lid, and let out a shriek.

A fish lay on the ice with an odd hunch back. It had splotches of red scales on the its side and it's jaws were open, showing rows of sharp teeth. But, what freaked her out was that there was another lower jaw open below that also with a row of sharp teeth. It also had three fins on the side that she could see.

"We do still have normal, healthy looking fish in here, too," Antonio said, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. "This wasn't the first one we caught."

"It's worse than I thought," Emily said with a shake of her head, closing the lid as fast as she could. She shivered, thinking about the fish again. "We covered all the pools of Sanzu River water in the city, but I never thought about there being some out here."

"If there's some out here, there could be some everywhere," Mike said, shaking his head. Antonio let out a low whistle. "We've got to tell Jayden, something could be up."

"Xandred hasn't sent a Nighlok in days, and Serrator hasn't shown up for a while, I'd say there's definitely something going on," Melody said in a grave tone. "And it's only a matter of time until we can figure things out."

"Cloud said his farm failed due to Sanzu water," Emily said to her, and Melody blinked in surprise, "and the same thing is happening to my family. We can fill all the gaps here, and maybe that'll help. But, he said they had poison control and everything out here."

"Do you have internet access out here?" Melody asked, a serious look crossing her face. "I have a hunch, but I'm going to need my brother's help with this."

"It's spotty, but it'll work," Emily replied with a nod.

"Good, but first we're going to need to tell Jayden about this," Melody said with a nod. "Unfortunately, this might take a while as I don't necessarily know what I'm looking for. Braiden's great with computers, but it might take him a little while to find what I think is out there."

"What's your idea?" Mike asked.

"Power Rangers aren't a new thing," Melody replied slowly, "you can find merchandise about us in any store and any website online. A while back, my brother found this wikia site that took files from the government, that had information that isn't viewed by the general public, or it would cause alarm."

"You think the government is involved in this?" Mike asked and Melody shrugged.

"Wouldn't be the first time. Haven't looked in a while, but they had records on all of our fights; who we fought against, if we won, if there were any civilian deaths, damages to buildings," Melody listed off, counting on her fingers. "There's no telling what information they have on us now. But, if they do have any, it could be used in favor of us or against us."

"Let's go tell Mia what we've found," Mike suggested, putting his hand on the small of Emily's back, guiding her towards the house.

"Antonio, are you ok?" Emily asked, looking over at the Gold Ranger. "You look a little pale."

"Yeah, I just need to cool off, that's all," Antonio replied with a nod.

* * *

The heat of the air surrounded Jayden's body like a warm blanket. He loved days like this; the balmy warm nights that blessed the area. He was used to how hot Panorama got during the year, but the others, not so much. Kevin was grumbling under his breath as he lifted a bay of hale from the back of Len's truck, carrying it over to the stack they were making on the ground. Cloud and Len didn't seem to bothered by it as they leaned against the truck, drinking bottled water, talking quietly together.

"Aren't you hot?" Kevin asked, breathing heavily, lifting the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face.

"Haven't paid attention to it, to be honest with you," Jayden replied as Kevin reached into the back of the truck, grabbing two water bottles, handing one to him. "Thanks."

"Yep," Kevin replied, unscrewing the top of his water bottle quickly drinking the water.

"Do you know what's up with Mike?" Jayden asked when Kevin lowered his water bottle. "He's been acting…off lately."

"Mike's always off," Kevin said. It was a weak joke, and he cracked a weak smile. "But, I have noticed."

"I've been thinking," Jayden said, scratching the side of his jaw backing away from the truck, getting out of ear shot of Len and Cloud, "if you guys wanted to visit your family—"

"No, I'm good," Kevin said with a shake of his head. "Seriously. I know my parents are proud of me, but what's more important is that we're prepared for Xandred's next attack." He let out a breath of air, his shoulder slumping. "Mia and I have talked about it; it's ok if we don't see our family. Emily and Mel needed to more than we do."

Jayden slowly nodded, taking in Kevin's words. If their roles were reversed, he would've jumped at the first chance to see his dad. He wished he had time to go up and visit his grave, he hadn't done so in a while, but he never had the chance to. There were more important things happening around the Shiba House, not that his dad wasn't important. It was just that everything else took top priority.

"That's true," Jayden replied with a slow nod. "I've had a lot on my mind lately; Terrorem, Deker, Dayu, Xandred, Serrator. This just seems to get harder and harder."

"Well, it was like you said, if we followed you, there was no turning back," Kevin replied and Jayden felt a smile come to his face as his words were repeated back to him. "We decided to join you because we agreed to fight as Samurai with all of our heart. And, you're forgetting that Sharkjaw was never defeated as well."

"That's too many Nighlok we haven't defeated," Jayden said with a shake of his head.

"We're doing our best under certain situations," Kevin reassured him, "there have been some difficulties I'll admit, but we've always come out on top eventually."

"Yeah," Jayden agreed. He never showed his insecurities, but as time went on, he wondered if he was doing as well as his dad had done. He wondered if his dad would be proud of him. "Anyway—" He stopped when his Samuraizer went off. Exchanging glances with Kevin, he looked over at Cloud and Len before answering the call. "Yeah, I'm here."

"_You need to get back here, fast_!" Melody's worried voice filled his ear. "_It's Antonio; he's collapsed. He's burning up_."

"What?" Jayden asked, his eyes widening. Kevin waved his hand, catching Jayden's attention, a worried look crossing his face. He mouthed 'what's going on?' his eyebrows knitting together. Jayden placed his hand over the mouthpiece. "It's Antonio. Mel says he's collapsed." He returned to the Samuraizer. "Mel, what happened?"

"_Well, we got back to the house after fishing_—" There was a shuffling sound and Mike's voice was suddenly on the line. "_Dude, you have to see this fish. It's got freaking piranha teeth and_—"

"_Give that back_!"

Jayden listened as there were more shuffling sounds, a loud curse, and some yelling in the background before Melody's voice was in his ear. "_Sanzu River water has been spotted around here. It's what's been killing all the product here, on Cloud's farm too. We think it's gotten into the lake and mutated the fish. Antonio looks really bad; he might've gotten bit by the fish—_"

"Where were you when this happened?" Jayden asked, motioning for Kevin to get Cloud and Len's attention. _If it's not one thing, it's another_.

"_I was sealing some of the gaps—we called Kale, he and Cody are on their way over now."_

"Is he ok?" Jayden asked. Melody paused before answering. Jayden pressed the Samuraizer harder against his ear.

"_…I don't know_. _We think…we think that the fish transferred Sanzu River water into his body._"

"Alright, we're on our way," Jayden replied. He closed his Samuraizer sliding it into his pocket, hurrying back over to the truck. Cloud and Len were already in the driver and passenger seat, the truck already on. Jayden grasped Kevin's hand, allowing his friend to pull him into the back of the truck. "We've got to hurry." He and Kevin grabbed the trailer door and slammed it shut. Jayden then slapped the top of the truck twice and Len sped off, hurrying back towards Emily's house.

When they arrived, another car was parked in the driveway. Cody ran off the porch steps, meeting them as the car was put into park. Kevin and Jayden jumped out of the back. "Dad's working on him now," Cody said as the three boys hurried towards the house. "He looked really bad, but he's going to be ok. Dad says we got here in enough time."

"What happened?" Kevin asked, taking the stairs up the front porch two at a time. He glanced over his shoulder, making sue Cloud and Len wouldn't hear them. "And where is everybody?"

"Emily, Mia, Mike, and Serena went out to find sanzu water on the property and are going to close the gaps, just in case the other animals get to it," Cody explained, "and Mel's upstairs with dad and Emily's mom. Somehow, Antonio got Sanzu water in him; it was essentially burning him from the inside out."

"Kev, go find the others and tell them that Antonio is going to be ok," Jayden said, placing a hand on Kevin's shoulder. Kevin nodded and hurried back out of the house. Jayden followed Cody through the house, up the stairs, and into the room that Antonio was being treated in. Melody, who was sitting outside the door, got to her feet as he neared. "How is he?"

"Kale got him to throw up," Melody replied, chewing on her thumbnail before sliding her hands into her jeans pockets. "He did get Sanzu water in him from that fish." She put a hand to her head. "I don't know how that happened. He told me he got bit, but I didn't think anything of it."

"If River water is being spotted around here…Xandred's definitely up to something," Jayden said with a shake of his head. He groaned, running his hands over his face. "Seems like we can't catch a break." Eh was silent for a moment, listening to the hushed voices on the other side of the door. "I don't want to make Emily leave, not just yet."

"But?" Melody prompted.

"Looks like we might have to," Jayden said as the door creaked open, and Ava slipped out.

"If you're leaving, Antonio's not going to join you for a few days," she said in a soft tone. Jayden's eyes widened slightly as he looked over at her. Avan gave a warm smile, placing her hand on his cheek. Jayden stepped slightly away from her hand. "He's going to be ok; Kale got here just in time to help him. He's just going to be weak for the next few days."

"Can we see him?" Jayden asked. Ava nodded, and pushed the door open wider, allowing Jayden, Cody, and Melody inside.

"Here, Antonio, drink this," Kale said, handing Antonio a cup of a steaming drink. Antonio slowly sat up, taking the cup from him.

"Thank you", he said feebly, taking the cup with shaky hands, slowly drinking it. He let out a sigh, handing it back to Kale before leaning back against the pillows. "Jayden."

"You ok?" Jayden asked, walking to his best friend's side. Antonio slowly nodded, seeming to frown in pain. "That's good."

"You really scared me, Antonio," Melody commented, stepping up beside Jayden. "I thought you were going to die."

Antonio gave a brief laugh. "At least now I know how to get your attention," he said in a weak voice.

"That's not anywhere close to being funny," Melody said with a shake of her head, placing her hands on Cody's shoulders. "But, I'm glad you're ok. Kale, thanks for coming on such short notice."

"No problem," Kale replied. "Antonio's lucky; any normal person and it would've killed them almost instantly. But he's strong; with all the Samurai training and all you've put up with and how you haven't broken down…it really helped."

"You've done more for us than I could imagine," Jayden said, turning to face the older man, offering his hand for a shake. Kale grasped his hand. "Thank you for helping Antonio."

"My pleasure," Kale replied with a nod. "Antonio's going to be weak for the next few days, but he'll bounce back in no time. Make sure he gets plenty of rest. I'd like to stay for a while to make sure he's making progress. Antonio really got lucky."

"I know," Jayden replied, looking over his sleeping friend. "I know." _It's only a matter of time until our luck runs out; we can only be lucky for so long. _

* * *

**A/N: **I meant to have this up earlier, but I was getting all my school work done before I got off for Spring Break. You'll find out what's up with Mike real soon. Promise. :) Personally, I'm not a big fan of this chapter, but I hop you guys liked this chapter.

**~HypnoticMelody~****  
**


	29. Chapter 29: Sick and Tired

**.:Chapter Twenty-Nine – Sick and Tired:.**

* * *

Jayden's shoes crunched over the dirt, leaves, and twigs as he ran through the woods. His chest burned, but he didn't slow down. Trees zipped past him as he darted through the woods. With every log that fell into his path, he would push off the trunk and flip through the air, landing on his feet before he continued to run. His shoes and socks were soaked with water, rubbing awkwardly against the bottoms and heels of his feet, but he continued on. Rounding a turn, he slowed to a stop, starting to walk, knowing that he was close to the Pirtle Family Farm.

He pulled his t-shirt out of the waist band of his training pants before using it to wipe the sweat off of his face. He let out a breath of air, moving to put his hands on his knees, trying to regain breath control, before sitting down. He jumped when he heard a crashing sound, and moments later, Melody was standing in the middle of the path, breathing heavily.

"Looks like we had the same idea," Jayden commented, peering up at her, closing an eye as a bead of sweat rolled into it; stinging.

"Shoulda told me," Melody replied, putting her hands on her hips as she sucked in a deep breath of air. "I would've gone running with ya. I just needed to get away for a while." Jayden silently nodded. She then got a good look at him. "That's not healthy." She swallowed thickly, motioning towards him with a wave of her hand. "You . . . gotta stand. And keep walking."

"Yeah," Jayden managed to get out between deep breaths, "I know." He scratched at his eyebrows with his thumbnail before silently holding his hand out to her. Melody grasped it and pulled him to his feet. "Thanks."

"Yep," Melody replied with a nod. "How's Antonio doing?"

Jayden slowly let out a breath of air. He had gone to see Antonio that morning, but he was asleep. He didn't look that pale anymore, but his arm, the one where he had gotten bit was bright red with a tinge of purple. His wrist looked swollen as well. Kale was doing the best he could with him, which was the only thing Jayden could ask for. But, he couldn't help but feel worried. It seemed like for every good thing that happened, two more bad things were right behind it.

"He looks better," Jayden replied, starting to walk down the path. Melody fell into step beside him. "Not as pale. From what Kale's told me, his strength and his appetite has returned. He'll make a quick recovery."

"Ah, so what you _don't _want to tell me is the truth: dude looks like death," Melody commented.

Jayden blinked once. "You're really blunt, aren't you?" he asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Took you long enough to figure that one out, Einstein," Melody replied. Jayden didn't even have to look at her to know that she was smirking. He could hear it in her voice. "I need to come up with a better nickname for you." She kicked at a pinecone. "I can handle the truth; you know. You're not the only one that cares about Antonio."

Jayden looked out through the trees, watching as the sunlight started streaming through the leaves. "I know," he replied, twisting his shirt in his hands. "How'd you know about Antonio?" Melody stopped walking, turning to face him.

"How do you think I know?" she asked.

Jayden stared back at her for a moment before it hit him. "You…you didn't—"

"Read your mind?" Melody asked in a monotone, raising her eyebrows. She shook her head. "No. Don't you know I respect you too much to do that?" She paused, her lip twitching. "Not on purpose, anyway." She started walking again. "You may be a man of few words, or at least that's how the others describe you, but from time to time you wear your heart on your sleeve." A muscle in Jayden's jaw twitched. "I could see how you were feeling in your eyes. You face might now have shown it, but your eyes were."

"You think he's going to be ok?" Jayden asked, changing the subject. He felt uncomfortable; partly because he hated talking about his feelings, and partly because it made him uncomfortable to know that he was easier to read then he thought.

"Do _you_ think he's going to be ok?" Melody replied, picking at her fingernails.

Jayden sucked in a deep breath of air, briefly closing his eyes. "Do you always answer a question with a question?" he asked, shaking out his t-shirt, pulling it on over his head.

"Does it bother you when I answer a question with a question?" Melody asked, laughing a little bit. She shook her head. "Sorry; it's a habit I have: when I help people, I don't outright give them the answers they're looking for. I help them find it for themselves." She swatted at a bug that buzzed by her head. "Sometimes I think it's because I haven't been able to help myself."

"What do you need help with?" Jayden asked.

"It was a freak accident, you know," Melody said, quickly changing the subject. Jayden noticed, but didn't call her out on it, "Antonio getting bit. He had just caught this fish; biggest one all day, and was pulling the hook out when the fish jumped out of the water, catching him on the arm. It was really creepy; it wouldn't let go no matter how hard we tried to get it off. We instantly noticed that something was wrong with it." She scratched the side of her jaw. "So why the morning run?"

"Xandred was able to get into the Shiba House once, and Serrator nearly destroy us, I can't even begin to imagine what could happen next," Jayden said, letting out a big breath of air. "We need to be on our game. We can't stop training; not even for a second. Not when we don't fully know what's out there. Melody made a noise in the back of her throat. "I'm just saying. Besides, I wanted to be sure all the pools of Sanzu River water around here were covered."

"Not everybody is as strong as you, Jay," Melody said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not everybody can rise to the occasion and do the right thing all the time." She gave him a curious look. "Maybe some of us are just screwed up and there's really nothing to do about it. Tigers don't change their stripes you know."

"I don't believe that, no matter how much you want me to," Jayden muttered, using his forearm to wipe the sweat off his forehead. "People change all the time; they adapt to things. Just like you and Antonio; who had never lived the Samurai lifestyle."

"Jay—"

"Let's just get back," Jayden said, quickening his pace. He slowly breathed in and out. His head swam. He couldn't figure out what to do in that moment.

He knew that he couldn't relax due to the lack of Nighlok attacks, he knew there was a part of Emily that would want to stay on the farm after hearing about her family's financial crisis, he knew that something was bothering Mike, he knew that Antonio could take a turn for the worse at any moment, and he knew that he had no idea how to lead everybody at that point. Everything seemed to be falling apart around him; he was losing control. And it was scaring him.

"Whatever you say," Melody replied, putting her hands up, showing him that she wouldn't talk about it anymore. "I can only guess how you're feeling right now; you only have a few moments to breathe before the madness starts up all over again." She peered curiously at him. "When are you going to realize that needing someone isn't a bad thing? I'm just trying to be your friend."

Friend. That was still a foreign concept to him despite having all the other Rangers around him. He had gotten used to them being in the house and training with them and sharing laughs with them, and sure, he could consider them a friend, but he hadn't ever actually admitted it. Not even fully to himself.

"Given your track record of sarcasm,," he spoke up, sarcasm in his voice, "that sounds promising."

"It is and thankfully it's a bit of good news for a change," Melody replied. "I don't offer my friendship to just _anybody_ you know." Jayden chuckled.

Silence fell between them and Melody noted how tired Jayden looked. A muscle was working in his jaw, and she could see the worry in his eyes. The worry that everything was just going to keep falling apart and that he wasn't going to be as great a Red Ranger as his dad.

"Just between you and me, Mel, being the Red Ranger is giving me a huge headache from time to time," he commented with a heavy sigh. "Come on, we'd better get back. Who knows what calamity might have occurred in the past hour."

They were soon back on the farm. They barely got ten feet onto the property when Cody rushed up to them. "I've been looking all over for you guys," he said, looking back and forth between the two of them. "Come on, you have to see this."

"See what?" Melody asked.

"Just come on," Cody replied, starting to walk over towards the barn. The two of them followed Cody into the shaded area—sighing in relief as cool air washed over them—and made their way to the back of the barn where they found Kevin, Mike, Mia, and Emily hunched around something. "Guys, I found them."

"Oh, good," Emily said, turning away from whatever it was she was looking at. "We didn't want to start without you."

"Start what?" Jayden asked.

"They want to dissect the fish." Melody turned around at the voice and smiled when she saw her guardian lying in an empty horse stall. "Jaeger!" She stepped towards him and stopped, a confused look crossing her face. "Aren't the horses—"

"They know I'm not…normal," Jaeger replied, blinking his green eyes. "Don't worry, none of them know I'm here. I've been careful."

"Wait…you want to _dissect_ the fish?" Jayden asked, shaking his head, trying to wrap his mind around what he had just heard. "Cody, how's Antonio doing?"

"Dad says he's doing great," Cody replied, leaning against a wooden post, crossing his legs. "Appetite's been returning the longer he's been awake, his strength is quickly returning. He's sitting up now; but I wouldn't be surprised if he has some exhaustion spells." He let out a heavy sigh. "He suffered from heat exhaustion as well as reacting to the Sanzu water."

"Dude, he's going to be ok after something like that?" Mike asked. He raised his eyebrows, looking impressed. "Antonio's got more fight in him than I thought." He then looked over at Kevin. "Then again, _I _always believed in him from the get go."

Kevin gave Mike an annoyed look. "What is _up_ with you lately, Mike?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "All you've been doing is passively attacking us with your witty one-liners and your bad attitude and I'm getting tired of it."

"Well excuse me for not being as _perfect_ as the Blue Ranger," Mike shot back, his upper lip curling.

"We just wanted to see how the fish could survive with Sanzu water in him, and maybe…maybe I could find another way to help Kale make Antonio feel better," Mia explained to Jayden, stopping the two boys from fighting. She brushed her hair behind her ears giving Cody a warm smile. "No offense, Cody. Kale has been doing a great job with his—"

"Ancient voodoo remedies?" Cody asked with a small laugh. "At least that's what I always called them. Every time I was sick or hurt, he never gave me any pills or anything. He always said that anything that came out of the ground was more reliable."

"Well, it's not like a frog, but let's crack this sucker open," Melody said rubbing her hands together, stepping forward, noticing that they were all standing around a stool with the fish propped up on it. "Uh, how exactly were you going to go about doing this? We aren't in a lab or anything."

"We improvise," Emily replied, dumping a bag of scissors, gloves, and other utensils onto the table. She reached for the scalpel and held it up to the fish's side. "Urgh, it'd be better if Antonio were here; he'd know how to do this in a heartbeat."

"It's nothing like frog dissection in high school, but we'll figure it out," Kevin said, reaching for a pair of gloves, snapping them against his wrist.

Jayden watched as Emily pushed the scalpel into the fish's side, slowly dragging it down its flank. Once she got to the tail, she cut vertically at the start and end of the incision. Kevin gently dug his fingers into the flaps before pulling them open.

"Oh my—" Jayden groaned as the smell of burning hair wafted up his nose. His stomach heaved as if he was about to throw up. He heard the other Rangers groan and gag as the smell hit them as well. Kevin grabbed the scissors and opened them. Emily carefully pulled the flaps of the fish open and Kevin jammed the open scissors into them, pinning them to the stool.

"It…it looks like it was burned," Cody gasped, his arm over his nose and mouth, "from the inside out."

"This is what the Nighlok live off of?" Mike asked, spitting onto the ground. He pointed at a blackened mass. "What's that? What are those black things?"

"They're eggs," Melody replied with a shake of her head, "It's pregnant, or rather _was _pregnant." She straightened, a grave look on her face. "It's kind of hard to think that—"

"We were going to trade ourselves to go into the Netherworld to save Emily, and turn into Nighlok," Jayden finished her sentence for her. "We saw what the water did to the branch…now we now what'll happen if enough gets inside us." He shook his head. "Thank god Antonio survived."

"He must not have had a lot in him," Mia said with a shake of her head, sounding nasally as she pinched he nose. "A small dose like that can make him that sick."

"What if…what if Xandred _does _flood the Earth?" Kevin asked quietly. "No one would have enough time to escape. All those people will…will…"

_Smoke billowed into the night sky, reflective from the dim glow of burning buildings in the cities. He could hear sirens rushing past, and faint screams. The ground rocked under Jayden's feet from time to time. _

_"This is it; we have to go. The fate of the world is in our hands. All our training will be put to the test, but I know we can do it." _

_Jayden looked up as the Blue, Green, Pink, and Yellow Rangers rushed past him and out the back door, already pulling their Spin Swords out of their sheaths. Jayden felt hands on his shoulders and looked up at Mentor, as his father slowly stepped out of the house, his helmet in his hands._

_"Jayden," his dad said quietly, moving to crouch down in front of him. "I know this is happening so fast." He held out his hand, holding up the Lion Foldingzord. Jayden looked at the zord for a moment, before looking back at his father. "One day the great responsibility of being the Red Ranger will fall to you." He looked up at Mentor, swallowing thickly. "Remember, protect the world from evil, stand by your allies and never run from a battle."_

_Jayden slowly reached out a small hand and took the zord, gripping it tightly with his fingers. "Dad—"_

_"Reece!"Jayden's dad slowly turned to face the Blue Ranger. "We have to go. Now."_

_"I'm coming," Reece replied, moving forward to give Jayden a hug. "Stay strong. I'm proud of you, son." He clipped on his helmet, gave Mentor a nod, before turning to face the Blue Ranger, hurrying after him to join the fight._

"That's not going to happen," Jayden said with a shake of his head. "I'm not going to let it happen. _We're_ not going to let it happen."He crossed his arms over his chest. "I underestimated the strength of the Sanzu water. I don't understand how this fish could've lived; burning from the inside out." He slowly let out a breath of air. "I'm going to go check on Antonio."

Before anyone could say anything else, he turned on his heels and headed into the house. He took the stairs two at a time, pausing outside of the room he and Antonio shared, knocking twice before slowly pushing the door open. Kale looked up at Jayden, silently beckoning him inside, as he handed Antonio a glass of water.

"Antonio will be up and running in no time," Kale announced as Jayden slowly walked into the room. "He's still a bit in pain and incredibly dehydrated, but he'll be fine with plenty of sleep and water."

"Can't keep a good Ranger down," Antonio said with a weak smile and Jayden couldn't help but laugh a little bit. Antonio slowly blinked before sitting up as far as he could to gulp down some water. "My gut feels like it's on fire."

"Might as well be," Jayden replied before explaining to both Antonio and Kale what he had seen with the fish. Antonio had a look of horror on his face when Jayden was done. "Which is why, as soon as you're fit enough to travel, we need to head back to the city and get you to a real doctor to check you out." Jayden then turned towards Kale. "No offense; I greatly appreciate everything you've done for us."

"You brought my son back to me and believed him when no one else did," Kale replied, taking the cup of water from Antonio. "For that I'm forever grateful. As long as there are Samurai Rangers, I will do whatever I can to help." Jayden opened his mouth and Kale gave a brief shake of his head. "You don't have to thank me. You know, Cody hasn't stopped talking about you guys since you left."

"Don't blame him," Antonio said in a tired voice, adjusting the pillows behind his head. "We _are_ pretty awesome." He adjusted his blankets. "Why is it so hot in here?" He fanned at his neck with his hands. "Don't they have fans or anything?" He violently kicked at the blankets, stopping when he got into a coughing fit.

"Here," Jayden said, motioning for Antonio to sit up as much as he could. He grabbed Antonio's pillow and flipped it over. Antonio sighed as the cool cotton touched his warm skin.

"This isn't your fault, amigo," Antonio said quietly. Jayden gave him a confused look as he moved back, slowly lowering himself to the floor. "No one could see this coming."

"If I had gone to the lake with you—"

"You think you're faster than a fish?" Antonio asked with a small laugh. "That's you're problem right there, Jay." Jayden blinked. "You feel like you have to take responsibility for everything."

"There's so much at stake," Jayden said with a heavy sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "You wouldn't understand."

"I'll leave you two alone," Kale offered, getting to his feet. He put his hand on Antonio's shoulder. "Nice to see you're doing well, Antonio." Antonio gave a brief smile before Kale left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"You put too much pressure on yourself," Antonio commented as soon as the door was closed. "You always have." Jayden opened his mouth, but Antonio quickly continued. "You haven't seen us asking you what we should do. We just wait for you tell us; maybe give our two cents every now and then." He swallowed thickly. "I know you like things going a certain way; but in case you haven't noticed…that's never going to happen."

"You know I didn't want anyone else to join the team for this reason," Jayden commented with a shake of his head. "Not knowing what's going to happen. When it was just me, I thought for myself, I cared for myself. It's different when there's more people. I never trained with others, or lead anybody else. Despite being together all this time…I guess I never really noticed the risks until other people were in danger."

"Mia was right though; when you first came around, I didn't want to include you on the team because you were an old friend. You helped me learn how to have fun while training and you were the first friend I had. It was too big a risk to lead you into a dangerous mission that you didn't spend your whole life training for."

"But, I did," Antonio replied with a shake of his head. "I already told you; after I moved away, I dedicated my life to Samurai training."

Jayden nodded, bowing his head. He knew that Antonio was serious about being a Ranger, just as much as the other Rangers. But, what it all boiled down to was that he was the longer Xandred was alive, the more threats that he posed to the Earth, the more worried he got that they weren't ready; that they weren't prepared for the big fight, and that someone was going to get seriously hurt. Or even die. That was why he was against forming a team in the first place; he would only be responsible for himself. He didn't know how he would handle a death on his hands.

"We all know the risks," Antonio said quietly, as if he had read Jayden's mind. He used his shirt to wipe some of the sweat off of his neck. "We're all willing to do what it takes to defeat Xandred, and Serrator, and Dayu, and anyone else out there. We haven't backed down yet; and we never will."

"Xandred could be on the verge of launching a full scale attack as we speak," Jayden said, swallowing thickly, "It could be today; it could be tomorrow. But if, if tomorrow fails, if _I _fail, then it's all over."

"If _we_ fail, then it's all over, but we're not going to make it easy for them," Antonio said. He let out a breath of air through his nose. "It'll be hard, but we can do it. We just have to rely on each other, that's all. We have each other's back and to pick each other up when we're down."

_When are you going to realize that needing someone isn't a bad thing?_

"Yeah," Jayden quietly agreed, "you're right. Thanks, buddy." _But will you be so keen to follow me into battle once you find out about everything? Will you understand the risks I've had to make?_

* * *

Mike stared into space, occasionally following the horses with his eyes as they ran around the grass, the clip-clopping of their hooves reaching his ears. He adjusted his weight on top of the wooden fence, making himself more comfortable. He merely looked over when Emily and Melody walked up, resting their arms on the fence.

"The other suggested that we talk to you. And I wanted to be sure that you were OK," Emily explained. Mike slowly nodded, turning his gaze back out over the fields. "_Are_ you OK?"

"As good as can be expected, I guess," Mike replied after another moment of silence. "Antonio doing ok?"

"He's already talking about his next fishing trip," Melody said and Mike laughed a little bit. "We showed Kale the mutated fish. He's just as confused as we are; about how the fish could be dead on the inside and very much alive on the outside."

"I wonder if that's how Deker feels," Mike replied, looking over at the two girls. "Being half Nighlok and all? Or Dayu. Or Xandred."

"We would've found out if we went through with our plan and turned into Nighloks," Melody replied. "If Antonio hadn't stopped us…we'd be Nighlok's too."

"I don't think I ever thanked you guys for the thought," Emily commented, brushing her hair behind her ears. "But, I wouldn't want you to make such a rash decision just because of me. I would've been fine."

"You don't know that for sure," Mike replied, looking over at her. "You yourself said that you felt empty and we had until sundown." He pressed his lips together for a moment. "I don't take back what I wanted to do, but I feel a little more…sad for the Nighlok, I guess. Maybe what we're doing is putting them out of their misery."

"Mike, what's wrong?" Emily asked, cutting to the chase. Melody elbowed Emily in the side, shooting her an annoyed look. "We're all worried about you."

"Nothing to worry about," Mike replied with a shrug. "Are you all having fun talking about me behind my back?"

"It's not like that, dude, and you know it," Melody said with a heavy sigh. "You haven't been acting yourself lately. Forgive us, _your friends_, for being worried about you." Mike stayed silent and Emily exploded.

"Why don't you ever tell me anything about anything?" Emily demanded.

Mike laughed incredulously, a wild note in his voice. Emily blinked, taking a step back. Melody frowned. "Em, you know more about me than basically anyone. You're a good friend, even if you try not to be, but there are still things I don't- can't- share with anyone. And what you're asking about qualifies." She spun on her heel, storming back up to the house.

"I'd say she cares the most out of all of us," Melody commented, climbing onto the fence, sitting at the next post over. Mike turned his head to look at her. "Just making conversation."

She turned back towards the horses when she heard a loud whinny and smiled when she saw Jaeger walking amongst them, nearly their own size. It was odd to see a lion sitting the middle of the fields with horses, but the horses didn't seem to mind him being there.

"I'd be careful," Mike commented. "Cloud might see him and I don't think he knows about us."

"Cloud went into town with Emily's dad, he won't be back for a little while, so it's ok," Melody replied with a shake of her head. "Besides, from what Cody told me, Jaeger hasn't really had the time to stretch his legs, so I'm giving him the freedom to now."

"Hm." Mike kicked his legs back and forth. "Aren't you going to keep prying and figure out what's bothering me?"

"I have a few guesses, but no," Melody replied with a shake of her head. "Doesn't really help me in the long run. I want you to be able to talk to me without the added pressure that you _have _to. Besides, I thought you could use the company. I don't mind just sitting."

Mike let out a huff of annoyance. "Why do you always do that?" he asked. His sudden question caused Melody's head to jerk up.

"Do what?" she asked.

Mike peered at her, wondering if she would tell him straight out if he stared at her long enough. Melody raised her eyebrows. She obviously wasn't going to crack. "Why are you so patient with me all the time?" Mike sighed, scratching the back of his neck. He added quietly, "I don't deserve it."

"You don't deserve to have ting thoughts fill your mind 24/7 either," Melody reminded him gently. "I want to apologize for that." Mike gave her a confused look. "Switchbeast, remember? I suggested for Jaeger to use his 'Night Shade' attack. I wasn't really thinking when I did; I didn't think he'd resort to using it." She squinted at him. "Are you sure that you're ok? You know you can talk to me if you're ever having any problems right?" She searched his face. "You do trust me, right?"

"About as far as I could throw you," Mike replied. He paused for a moment. "Which given our powers and everything, that's pretty far." The two of them laughed a little bit

"Do you remember what I said about it?" Melody asked quietly. "The Night Shade attack?"

"Yeah, it, uh," Mike scrunched his face up in thought, "It makes you relieve every bad moment or something."

Melody slowly nodded, "It's obviously has been affecting you this whole time." She let out a heavy sigh, suddenly looking very tired. "I'm sorry. It took me a while to pick up on it because…well, you're generally a happy person. Can't say that much lately." Mike let out a short bark of laughter. "I think I can help."

"I didn't ask for help," Mike said with a shake of his head.

Melody clicked her tongue. "It's the ones that don't ask for help that are the ones that need it the most," she replied.

"Do you _always_ talk like a fortune cookie?" Mike asked, wrinkling his nose.

Melody laughed but didn't answer that question. "So, what are the thoughts about? You've been so…so…"

"So?" Mike prompted.

"Antisocially weird," Melody replied. "Since around the time I went back home, I'd say."

"You're right," Mike agreed. "You know…I always thought being a Samurai was so cool and it was a lot of fun. And it is; now that I'm finally away from my dad." He stared at the ground. "I like it here because I'm with my friends 24/7 and I don't have to hear every put down he threw my way." He rested his arm on top of the fence post next to him. "My dad's a pushy bastard."

"You shouldn't talk about your dad like that," Melody commented.

"You don't know my dad," Mike instantly replied.

"No, but I know what it's like to have someone always tell you that you won't amount to anything, and that everything you do is wrong, and that you won't ever make a name for yourself," Melody agreed. "I told you the story about my family and how I came to meet my real dad and my brothers and everything, but have I ever told you that in my junior year of high school I thought I was pregnant?"

Mike seemed to choke as he turned to look at her, a shocked look on his face. "Obviously, I didn't. Well, yeah, I had a pregnancy scare. I mean all the signs were there, morning sickness, emotions moving up and down like an elevator, I ate a lot more than usual, I was tired." Mike motioned for her to continue.

"I knew my mom and dad had Mika and I around my age at the time and I had always heard about kids getting pregnant in high school. I talked badly about them, and here I was thinking I was just like them. Turns out, I was just really, _really_, stressed. I was so worried about everything and everyone around me that I hadn't been worrying about myself. If my friend Kim hadn't suggest, through my other friend Rocky, that I take a pregnancy test just to check, I think I would've seriously had a mental break down."

"Is there a point to this?" Mike asked.

Melody gave a half smile. "Don't you know by now that all of my stories have points to them?" she asked and Mike shrugged. "The point is that it doesn't matter why, or Kevin, or Jayden, or your dad thinks of you. It's more important what you think of yourself. If you don't love yourself, no one will. Your dad may have reasons for putting you down—"

"My mom left us," Mike interrupted her. "I wasn't even supposed to be born. I was an 'accident' like they all say." He bitterly used air quotes. "I don't know how long she stuck around before she split; leaving me in a park or something; I think I was three. I don't really remember. He won't ever admit it, but my dad's blamed me for her leaving."

He gave a bitter laugh. "They always fought; she called him lazy, he called her a bitch. Neither of them really wanted to take responsibility for me. So, I just started to take care of myself. When my dad finally told me I was supposed to be a Samurai; it kind of felt like he was glad to know I'd be leaving. Whenever he trained, whenever I did something wrong, insults came flying my way."

Melody was silent for a moment. "Which is why you don't want to go see your dad. And why you didn't open your Valentine' s Day card."

"I doubt there was really anything in it anyway," Mike said with a shrug. "It's no big deal."

_"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" Mike sighed, turning around on the top step to face his dad. He crossed his arms over his chest, his bag with his newly purchased Nintendo DS hitting him in the side. Mike stayed silent. "I'm talking to you, Michael."_

_"Why were you worried?" Mike asked in a low tone. "You didn't worry when you chose to have me walk all the way home after you forgot to pick me up from school."_

_His eyes widened in surprise for a moment, shocked that Mike had even answered him, before hiseyes turned cold. "Not everything is about you," he replied harshly._

_"Well excuuuse me, _Perry_," Mike replied, waving his arms in the air. "You're overreacting. I was at the game store."_

_"How do you expect me to react, Michael?" his dad asked with a scowl, "you only told me that you were going out, right before you left the house, and you didn't come back for hours."_

_Mike peered closely at his father. "What's going on?"_

_"There've been more Nighlok attacks lately," Perry replied, looking up at his son. "Be sure you're packed. You should get the call any day now." He cleared his throat. "This is important, son. This isn't like one of your silly little video games." Mike's hand clenched into fists. "You're still a part of this fami-"_

_"What family?" Mike hissed._

_"You're still naïve, Michael," Perry snapped. "You don't even remotely understand what's going on.I'm tired of you acting like a real brat lately." He stomped away from the stairs. "Just be sure that you're ready when the time comes."_

_"Don't worry," Mike replied turning and stomping wards his room, "I will be."_

Melody briefly closed her eyes. "I think you should go see your dad," she suddenly said and Mike blinked before giving her an odd look. "I didn't say you _had_ to. I just think you should. Your dad's been through this before; he understands all the dangers of being a Power Ranger. He may be a hard ass, but he's still your flesh and blood. I bet he's worried about you." She stretched her arms over her head. "Well, you don't have to make a decision right away, I just wanted to suggest it. You should go and talk to Emily though, and apologize. Like I said, out of all of us, she cares the most about you."

"Yeah, I know," Mike agreed. "It's just so hard…she has everything so easy. Two parents, a sister—"

"She's a country girl who had to learn how to swing a sword around, while her sister was sick, and her parents were losing their farm," Melody bluntly pointed out to him. She gave a small laugh. "I don't think she has it easy like you think."

"Thanks, Mel," Mike said once he finished laughing.

"It's what I'm here for," Melody replied. She leaned forward to give him a loud kiss on the temple.

Mike mockingly frowned, wiping at the spot. "Don't let Antonio see you do that," he said with a teasing lift to his voice. Melody rolled her eyes.

"By the way," she said as she hopped to the ground, "You should tell Emily how you feel."

_Ha, if only. _Mike had actually tried to tell Emily on a few occasions how he felt. Hell, he had nearly even kissed her at one point, only to chicken out. He had never really had a girlfriend before, so he freaked himself out anytime he even ventured into that area of conversation.

"You know that 'no romantic entanglements' rule," Mike said with a shrug, as if that was going to be the end of the conversation. He hoped it would be anyway.

"Telling someone how you feel and asking someone out are two completely different things," Melody pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'd do it soon; that's all I'm saying."

"How do you have advice on everything?" Mike asked with a shake of his head.

"Because I've made a lot of mistakes in my life," Melody replied with a slow smile, "and I decided to learn from them."

* * *

Jayden stood by the window to the bedroom that he and Antonio shared, staring out at the setting sun. The smell of chicken wafted up to his nose and his stomach growled loudly. In the reflection of the glass, he peered at Antonio's empty bed. The Gold Ranger was well enough to get up and eat with everybody else, but he still looked exhausted.

"It's dinner time, in case you didn't know." Jayden turned and saw Cody standing in the doorway.

"Thanks," Jayden replied. "Something wrong?"

"No," Cody replied with a shake of his head. "I just never really got the chance to thank you for helping me before." He bowed his head for a moment. "I know what I did was dangerous. But, no one would believe me about the Bullzord and—just thanks."

"You're welcome," Jayden replied with a small smile. "So, your dad tells me you really want to help us out."

"Yeah!" Cody replied, his eyes lighting up. "I have awesome ideas. Wait until you hear them and one of them is based off the Bullzord. Dad's been helping me." He let out a breath of air, seeming to calm down. "Now that we don't need to protect the Bullzord, I've had a lot of free time. Dad and I have been spending a lot of time together, though.

Jayden felt a pang of jealousy and sadness as he slowly nodded his head. "That's great Cody," he said, "I'll be down in a minute."

"Cody," Emily said, walking up behind the small boy, "your dad says to hurry up and eat so you can hit the road."

"Ok," Cody replied with a smile. He lifted a hand in a wave. "Bye, Jayden."

Emily smiled, watching as Cody hurried down the stairs. "I think he looks up to you, Jayden," she said as she turned back to the Red Ranger. "Not that I blame him. Thank you for letting me come see my family if only for a little while."

"You have to thank Mel for that one," Jayden replied.

"You're welcome," Melody replied called from somewhere down the hall. "Is dinner ready?"

"You got done with your shower just in time," Emily replied before turning on her heels, heading down into the kitchen.

"Mel, come here for a sec," Jayden called.

"Coming." Jayden listened as her footsteps neared his room and then she was standing in the doorway. Her hair looked as though it had been vigorously towel dried, and was curling damply on her forehead and around her ears.

"I don't think I'll be able to Jaeger away from the horses," Melody commented before Jayden could say anything, "he hasn't been around other animals in a long while. I mean, if you don't count Mike."

Jayden chuckled. "I'm going to help you get over your fear of horses," he said suddenly.

"Why would you want to do that?" Melody asked; a confused look crossed her face.

"Because you're going to need to know how to ride one," Jayden replied evenly. He paused for a moment. "And what kind of friend would I be if I didn't try and help you in some way."

Melody clicked her tongue. "You'd be a friend that's still alive," she replied, raising her eyebrows.

"Hey, when we get back to the city, I want to try out your training routine with the other Rangers," Jayden said, turning serious again. "It's been a long time overdue."

"Sure, no problem," Melody replied with a nod." Was that what you wanted to talk about?" Jayden nodded. Melody peered at him, as if she didn't believe him, but she didn't call him out on it.

"Ok," she said, stepping back from the door. She took a few steps down the hall before turning back. "Oh, one thing though." Jayden turned his attention back to her in time to watch a book land on his bed. He walked over to it and read the cover; _Way of the Samurai: The Book of Five Rings_.

"Happy Birthday," she said.

"How did you know it was my—?" Jayden's question died on his lips as he looked up and was met with an empty doorway.

* * *

**A/N: **So, this was basically a filler chapter, but it was important at the same time. The plot point of the government will be brought up again and this isn't the last you'll see of Cody or Serena. Next chapter goes back into the Super Samurai episodes.

I meant to have this up yesterday, but I got a take home mid-term and I wanted to get as much of it out of the was possible, so I didn't have to be in class the whole class time tomorrow.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	30. Chapter 30: Mia's Brother

**.:Chapter Thirty – Mia's Brother:.**

* * *

_Leadership. It's about getting people to do stuff they wouldn't normally want to do. It's also to make people believe in themselves, so they don't give up; they go that extra yard to make them champions. So how the hell did I get this job_?

Melody started running backwards up the beach, watching as her friends tried to keep up with her pace. They were all breathing heavily, faces bright red, sweat dripping down their cheeks. But, they were still running, and that was pretty good. Jaeger merely trotted beside them at their feet, taking Melody's threat seriously that if they weren't working hard enough, he would nip at their toes, not enough to hurt, but to keep them moving.

"Come on you guys," Melody said in between gasps of air, "push hard. Just three more minutes and you're done." She grabbed the stop watch that was hanging around her neck and peered at it. "Yeah, just three more—what are you doing? Why are you sitting down? Just one more circuit and we're done."

"We can't go any further," Antonio said, gripping his arm as he lowered his butt to the sand. He shook out his arm, rubbing the area by his wrist. "My arms feel like noodles."

"So do my legs," Mia said, dropping to her knees. She adjusted her bikini top and shorts. "I can't take one more step; if I do, I won't be able to move for a week.

Melody frowned, running her fingers through her hair. "But, this is the part that counts," she commented, "you feel like you can't do any more, but you can't." She crouched down in front of Mike, shaking his foot. "You have to dig deeper."

"If I dig any deeper, it'll be six feet down," Mike replied, using his shoulder to wipe the sweat from his face. "Because, I will be digging your grave, after I kill you for making me do this."

Melody pursed her lips, looking around at all of them. "What's going on, guys?" she asked, getting back up to her feet. "We're not done, here."

"You might not be done, Mel, but we are," Emily replied, using a hand to shield her face from the sun. "You did this everyday in high school?" Jayden was the only one still standing.

"Every Saturday for a while, yeah," Melody explained, crossing her arms over her chest. "Jason and Tommy were very serious martial artists, we'd go to the park or the lake or the beach every Saturday morning to train and do homework together."

She sighed heavily, realizing that they weren't going to budge. _So, what does this say about me being a leader? An elite bunch of samurai and I can't even get them to finish a morning run. _She threw her arms into the air. "Ok, catch your breath for ten minutes, and then we'll start push ups and planks; working on our arm strength."

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" Mike asked, looking over at the crashing waves. "Boy, that looks great. Let's go for a swim, yeah?" He turned and clapped Kevin's bare shoulder. "What do you think, Kev? Sounds good, right?"

"No," Kevin replied, doubling over, hands on his knees, breathing heavily. "We already have this planned for today. This training is just fine."

"Look at it, Mel," Emily said, following Mike's gaze to the crashing waves, "it's perfect. It screams for us to have a nice refreshing dip."

"I know, but we're scheduled for upper body training today," Melody replied, "push ups, planks, handstands, bridges, stuff like that."

"But, we'd be working on that while we're swimming," Emily replied with a smile. "We could…body surf. Lots of upper body strength." She then lifted her arms, flexing her muscles. Mike reached over and pinched one.

"Trust me, she needs it," he joked and Emily elbowed him in the side. "Come on, Mel, it's burning up out here."

"You'll be burning up if you go in the water, Mr. I Don't Need to Wear Sunscreen," Jaeger replied, his whiskers twitching in amusement as he paused licking the sand out of his fur.

"Tomorrow, we'll work our arms off," Antonio added, jumping to his feet, clapping his hands. He then rotated his arms. "In fact, I think my arm is feeling a whole lot better. Perfect for some breaststrokes."

"But—"

"Come on, Mel, I mean, even Jayden tells us we need to work on our arm strength," Emily added, brushing her hair out of her face. "This way, we get to do both."

"It _would _be pretty refreshing," Mia spoke up, bumping Kevin's shoulder with her own. She looked like she was trying to convince him. "We always said we wanted to spend another day at the beach. And you really look like you're missing your swim team right now."

"I don't know," Kevin replied, resting his arms on his knees.

"Well, I'm going in, we get a chance to have fun and work our arm muscles at the same time," Mike replied, jumping to his feet. He let out a loud "woo hoo" before rushing into the crashing waves. Antonio and Emily were close behind him.

"But, but, this isn't what was planned," Melody protested.

"Yeah, but it's the same result, though," Mia replied, brushing the sand off her shorts. "We'll swim extra hard, Mel, promise." She then grabbed Kevin's arm, dragging him into the water. "Just watch; it'll be the best swimming you've ever seen. _And,_ Kevin will give us pointers."

_That's another thing about leadership; if the people you're supposed to lead don't listen to you, then you're pretty much dead in the water_. Melody grit her teeth for a moment before turning her head towards Jayden, her shoulders slumping. "Thanks for nothing. You could've said something."

"Given how hot our here it is today, no offense to Jayden, but I don't think even _he _could stop them from pulling that off," Jaeger commented, arching his back before shaking his head.

"Trust me, they'll learn in due time that the basics will get them far," Jayden commented, letting out a breath of air through his nose. "Besides, they forgot I'm working one on one with them today with the shinais, starting with Antonio or Emily. You're doing fine."

"I already told you, I'm not a leader," Melody replied, putting a hand on her hip. "I mean, I have mad props for you since we're all about the same age, but they won't listen to me. It's just not me. When you said we'd be trying out my work out routines, I thought _you'd_ be leading us."

"Leaders are made, Mel, not born," Jayden replied, clasping his hands behind his back. "Like I said, you're doing fine. I just think we need to knock some sense into them."

"_We_?" Melody repeated, her eyes widening. "What do you mean, '_we'_?" She threw her arms into the air. "Face it Jayden; you're a leader and I'm not."

"You can be when you put your mind to it," Jaeger pointed out, "sure, you're not like Jason or Tommy, or even Jayden, but you're a strong fighter and a great friend and you do well in battle. That's not to say they don't look up to you at all."

"I'm more of a friend than a leader," Melody finished for him. "You can say it; it's not going to hurt my feelings. Besides, you forgot to mention my good looks and sparkling personality." She gave a kind of a sad laugh before clapping her hands together. "Ok! I'm bored with feeling down about myself."

"Why do you do that, anyway?" Jayden asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why do you always put yourself down?"

"It makes me work harder," Melody replied with a shrug. "I don't care what anyone else thinks about me, but what I think about myself is important. The more I put myself down, the more I work harder to prove myself wrong." Jayden shook his head from side to side.

"No, I mean; all the time," Jayden replied and Melody closed her mouth. "Look, telling them what to do is hard when you're not used to it. But, until they've got as much stamina as you, until they're as sharp as you, and until they're as fit as you, they won't be as good as you."

Jaeger's eyes widened slightly when Melody twirled a lock of her hair around her finger and said with a smirk, and a lot of sarcasm, "Stop, you're making me blush." Jayden rolled his eyes.

"The point is, I'll continue their training today, but soon they're all on their own, because they're all going to be fighting you," Jayden said. Melody's eyes widened.

"You mean sparring?" Jaeger corrected him and Jayden shook his head.

"I mean, no holds barred, fully morphed, fighting," Jayden replied, looking out over the water, "_and _you can use your powers against them as you see fit. I haven't forgotten that you said that if you use too much of your powers at one time that it can possess you. I've seen it once before and I'm not going to forget in a hurry. But, we have to be prepared just in case that happens. We've fought beside you this whole time, but we need to learn how to fight against you as well."

His gaze drifted out over the ocean and towards the other Rangers as they laughed and played in the water. "Xandred and Serrator aren't going to just sit by and watch us dominate the Nighlok with our Shogun Mode, and Dayu is still out there as well as Terrorem and Sharkjaw. And with each new Nighlok, there's a new power they have that we have to adapt to." He scratched the side of his jaw. "We have to prepare for anything and everything."

"Whatever you say, Jayden," Melody replied with a shake of her head, "Whatever you say."

* * *

"Ahhh, a shower was just what I needed," Mike said, stretching his arms over his head as he made his way into the kitchen. "Between sweating, swimming, and sweating again, I really needed it." He grabbed the pitcher of orange juice on the counter.

"So how bad did Jayden kick your butt during training this time?" Melody asked, pausing in slathering cream cheese on her bagel. Mike wrinkled his nose, making a face as he poured himself a cup of orange juice and proceeded to drink it. "You see, that wouldn't have happened if you didn't shirk on training this morning."

"Come on, Mel, I know you don't actually believe that," Mike said with a grin, setting the glass down. "Besides, I did ok and you couldn't pass up a chance to go into the water. It was burning up out there, why do you think Jayden wanted us to train inside today?"

"Are you always that good at talking your way out of things?" Melody asked, taking a large bite of her bagel. Mike laughed when a cream cheese mustache was left on her upper lip.

"Its part of my charm," Mike replied with a grin, hanging her a napkin. "Anyway—" He suddenly stopped talking slowly lifting his head and looking around. "Is that music coming from you?"

"Yeah," Melody agreed, giving him a 'duh' look, "because bagels are the next percussion instruments." She then tilted her head to the side. "Someone's playing the guitar." She set her bagel down as she wiped her mouth before she followed Mike out of the kitchen.

"Hey, dudes," Mike called, stopping Jayden and Emily in the middle of their training session, "where's that guitar music coming from?"

Jayden stopped what he was doing, lowering his shinai, chest heaving as he breathed in deeply. "Sounds like it's coming from outside," he replied, using one hand to pull at the top of his training uniform, cooling himself down.

Mike shrugged and led the way to the front door, pushing the door open. He stuck his head out, before motioning for everyone to follow him outside. They spotted a boy sitting in front of the Shiba House, had bent as he played the guitar. Mike slowly walked around to face him, and the guitar playing stopped as the boy looked up.

He was Asian, kind of lanky in build, he didn't look to be that tall, and he had spiky hair with streaks of brown-ish gold in it. He looked fairly young and had a recognizable smile as he looked up at everyone surrounding him.

"So, I'm safe in assuming that you're some of the Samurai Rangers?" he asked, standing up, pushing his guitar over his shoulder and onto his back.

"Uh…yeah," Jayden replied, exchanging a curious look with Mike. "Um, sorry, but who are you?"

"I'm Terry," he replied, extending a hand towards Jayden. His smile faded slightly when Jayden, Mike, Melody, and Mentor Ji, who had followed the Rangers outside, gave him a blank look. "Um...I'm Mia's brother?"

There was a long stretch of silence as everyone turned to face Mentor Ji. They didn't know whether or not to really believe him. But, he did know who they were. But, the fact of the matter is that none of them knew that Mia had a brother.

"I take it, my sister never really mentioned me," Terry said with a small laugh. "Not that I'm really surprised." He then looked all of them over. "There are _three _female Rangers?"

"That's kind of a long story," Melody replied, holding out her hand to him. "I'm Mel; Purple Ranger."

"Let's all go talk inside, and get out of this heat," Mentor suggested, ushering everybody inside. "Terry, it's nice to meet you." He put a hand on Jayden's shoulder. "This is Jayden; the Red Ranger."

"Nice to meet you," Jayden replied, shaking Terry's hand.

"Yo, dude, I'm Mike; Mighty Green," Mike said with a grin, clapping Terry on the back. "So you're Mi'as brother." He let out a low whistle. "Dude; if you were first born, you'd have to wear pink spandex."

"After learning that such a young age, I learned to enjoy being the youngest child," Terry said, causing everyone to laugh.

"I'm Emily." Emily finished the introductions with a polite smile. "I'm the Yellow Ranger. It's so nice to meet you, Terry. I'm sorry if we worried you back there. We were just surprised."

"That's alright," Terry replied with a shrug. "I'm pretty sure my sister—" his eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he looked around the Shiba House. "—whoa. Nice place."

"Thanks," Jayden and Mentor Ji replied in unison.

"Welcome to the Shiba House, Terry," Mike said, giving Terry a little shake as the younger boy stepped forward, taking in everything. Terry made his way into the indoor training room, grabbing a shinai that was abandoned.

"So, where is my sis anyway?" he asked, carefully spinning the shinai around in his hand as he turned to face the Rangers.

"Oh, she went with Kevin to get some groceries," Emily replied.

Terry's jaw dropped slightly as his eyes narrowed. He then pointed the shinai at them, before pressing the tip into the ground. "You're not letting her _cook _are you?" he asked, a cautious look on his face. "Because my sis is great with a blade, as long as it's not a knife."

"Trust me, we've learned that the hard way," Mike commented, making a face, putting his hand to his stomach as if he had just ate some more of her food. "We got her a cookbook for Christmas. Her food's improved a little."

"So, what brings you to town, Terry?" Jayden asked.

"I'm volunteering at the Children's Hospital," Terry replied, slowly putting the shinai back. "My parents think it'll get me into Med School down the road."

"Is there a high demand for guitar playing doctors?" Mike asked, a curious look crossing his face.

Terry laughed as e moved his guitar to the front of his body, quickly playing a few chords. "Nah, I'm also trying to put together a concert gig," he replied, waving his hands in a "Ta da" kind of way. "I was hoping Mia would sing." For a second time, he was met with stunned silence.

"Mia sings?" Emily asked, looking excited. "She didn't tell us that, either."

"Are you kidding?" Terry asked, a fond smile coming to his face. "Mia's incredible." He scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed. "When we were little we were going to be the world's greatest band. But, you know, the whole Power Rangers thing."

"Well, that's a sick guitar," Melody commented. She held open her hands, silently asking if she could have it. Terry handed it over to her and she cradled it in her arms. "Fretless and cherry wood; niiice." She flipped it over in her hands, looking at the back before looking at the front, too. "This is in great condition."

"Do you play?" Terry asked and Melody nodded as she handed the guitar back to him.

"Drums mainly, but I do know how to play the guitar," she replied, brushing her hair behind her ears. "My brothers and I, when I was in high school performed in a band together. We did a few shows here and there before the Samurai training thing came in. But, you understand that."

"Hey…do you _sing _too?"Terry asked.

"Yeah, why," Melody replied, but before Terry could ask his next question, the Gap Sensor went off. "Speaking of Samurai training."

"Down by the local school yard," Mentor announced, after looking over the map. "You guys get going; I'll call Antonio, Mia, and Kevin. They shouldn't be too far away."

"We'd love to stay, but—"

"Don't sweat it," Terry replied with a smile, "I'll just stay right here and wait for my sister to get back. Good luck."

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Emily replied as she handed Mentor her shinai before following Jayden, Mike, and Melody to the Shiba car. She hopped into the backseat, slamming the door shut, pulling her seatbelt across her chest. "Step on it, Jayden."

"Why would Xandred attack a school?" Mike asked, staring out the window as Jayden peeled out of the driveway. "Sounds kind of fishy to me."

"Especially when it's the weekend," Melody added, "there's no inside, so no one can get hurt."

"Like the Nighlok really need a reason for anything," Emily cried.

"I know what you mean, but, it's kind of weird they'd been holding off on an attack for weeks and now _suddenly_ they start up again," Melody replied, shaking her head. "We just need to be careful."

Soon, they pulled up to the local high school. Jumping out of the car, they morphed as they ran inside, following the familiar sound of Moogers and a few screams. Some of the faculty were actually in the building, holding a meeting that weekend when the Moogers attacked.

"Move it or lose it, Moogers!" Jayden shouted, summoning his Fire Smasher, ramming it straight into a group of Moogers as they tried to break through a door. He pushed them down the hall and into another classroom. "Mike, I could use some help."

"You got it, Red," Mike replied, unsheathing his sword, he joined Jayden in the classroom. "Mel, Emily, check the rest of the school. And see where Kevin, Antonio, and Mia are."

"You got it," Emily replied with a nod before she and Melody hurried down the hall.

"I don't see any Nighlok," Mike said as he briefly looked out the window and over the grounds of the school."

"That can be good or bad," Jayden replied, jumping over a desk. He turned and kicked it hard with his foot, pinning a Mooger against the wall before he stabbed it's shoulder. "If there is one here, it's a good thing no children are around. If there's not—" Jayden let out a cry of pain as he was slammed into a chalkboard, the chalk tray digging into his hip. He held his sword up to his side, grunting in pain as a Mooger pressed forward, continuously attacking him.

"Hydro Bow!"

"Barracuda Bite!"

Jayden let out a sigh of relief when the Mooger attacking him fell to the ground, letting out a high pitched screaming in pain. "Thanks, guys."

"We came as fast as we could," Antonio replied, gently punching Jayden on the shoulder with his hand that held his Barracuda Blade. In his other hand was the Light Zord.

"How's your arm?" Jayden asked, the Gold Ranger.

"Not even Moogers can keep me down," Antonio replied, rotating his left shoulder. "I'll do the best I can."

"That's all I ask," Jayden replied, placing a hand on Antonio's shoulder. "But, fall back if it gets too much for you. It's still going to take you a little while until you get all your strength back. Don't over do it here, Xandred might've sent the Moogers just to remind us that he's still around."

"You got it!" Antonio replied before rushing out onto the balcony. "Haven't you Moogers heard? School's out for the summer!"

It didn't take long or the Rangers to get rid of the Moogers. They were also happy to find out that there was no Nighlok around. This told them that Xandred wasn't trying to catch them off guard, but to show them that he was still around, not that they thought he had suddenly given up. But, it was getting too eerily quiet in the city, and they were starting to expect an attack at any size at any moment.

"Sorry I'm late, guys," Mia said as she hurried into the school's courtyard, demorphing with the other Rangers. She frowned, raking her fingers through her hair. "Looks like you guys have it all under control."

"No worries, Mia," Emily replied, putting her arm around her friend. "It was just Moogers; no biggie." She then looked over at the Gold Ranger. "Antonio, how's your arm?"

"Sore," Antonio replied turning his wrist over, looking down at his arm.

The area around his fish bite was now an ugly greenish-yellow, it looked tough, and it was kind of crusty. The doctors said it was healing well, but it did still look pretty bad. It stung when he was in the ocean that morning, and he had wondered if the salt water would help heal it. But, he was exposed to Sanzu River Water, and no one really knew the entirety of its properties and the affects it had on things.

"But, I was glad to get the call," Antonio said to his friends. "It's nice to feel needed despite this gosh darn industry."

"We need everybody in tip top shape now more than ever, doing as much as they can," Jayden replied, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. He shoved Antonio when his friend pretended to cry.

"Speaking of being needed," Emily said with a grin, "Mia, we're needed back at the Shiba House."

"Why?" Kevin asked, stretching his arms over his head. "What's going on?"

"Mia's brother, Terry, showed up at the Shiba House while you guys were out," Melody explained. She raised her eyebrows, turning towards the Pink Ranger. "Imagine our surprise; we didn't even know you had a borther."

"Yeah, dude, you have to meet him!" Mike replied, "he's like this _zen _guitar player."

"My brother? At the Shiba Hosue? With his guitar?" Mia repeated a confused look on her face. "But…how did he find—_why_ is he-?"

"He wants _you_ to sing in his band," Emily replied, giving Mia a little squeeze. "He's set up this gig for the weekend. It sounds really cool."

"I didn't know you could sing," Kevin said, blinking in surprise.

"Wait! Time out!" Antonio cried, forming his hands into a 'T' before showing past Mike and Jayden, grabbing Mia's arms, shaking her. "Your brother is in a rock band?" Mia slowly nodded. "Sweet! I've got to meet him! I'm going to go grab my guitar, and I'll meet you guys back at the house." He then took off running before anyone could say anything else.

"Wait…_you _have a guitar?" Kevin asked, turning towards Antonio, scratching the back of his head. "What did I miss while I was out?" He turned towards Jayden, pointing over at Antonio. "Can _he _sing, too?"

"I never knew," Jayden replied with a shrug. "He didn't have a guitar when he was a kid."

"I'm so confused," Kevin said, running his hands over his face.

"You'll have everything explained to you once we get back," Emily said, starting to pull Mia in the direction that they parked the Shiba car.

"But, the groceries—"

"You go ahead to the car, I'll get them," Kevin said, waving his hand in the air. "Maybe this way I can have the time to warp my mind around all of this."

"Me too," Mia muttered, with a frown.

"Dude, turn that frown upside down!" Mike cried, attempting to push Mia's cheeks up to get her to smile. She narrowed her eyes and slapped his hands away from her. "You get to see your brother! Aren't you excited?"

"Of course I am," Mia replied, her eyes widening slightly. "I haven't seen him since I left home." She allowed a smile to come to her face. "We've always been close. I can't wait to see him. I guess I was just shocked to hear that he's _here_."

"So, why didn't you tell us before that you could sing?" Melody asked.

"I don't know," Mia replied, kicking at a rock on the ground. "I guess it just didn't come up. I mean, I sang a lot when I was a kid, but when I started training to be a Samurai, it just wasn't as important to me, anymore."

"I'm just surprised Antonio didn't make a big deal out of _you _playing the guitar and being in a band," Jayden commented from her right. Melody looked over at him, silently arching an eyebrow. He shrugged. "Aren't you…I don't know, annoyed, or…something, that he's freaking out about Mia's brother's band?"

"No," Melody replied, shaking her head. She then laughed a little bit. "Because for once I _don't_ have his attention." Mike, Mia, and Emily laughed. Jayden smiled. "Besides, this kind of thing happened before. My friend Tanya made a music video for fun once, and she got recognized by this music producer who wanted to cut a record deal with her. My friends freaked out. My brothers and I had already been performing as a band for a while and nothing like this had happened to us."

"I got really jealous, making passive aggressive comments to her and everything. That's something I always wanted to do; to be a professional recording artist. I felt really bad about it later on, and we're still great friends now. I know it'll happen eventually. But, there are more important things than music right now. It'll always be there, but the Earth won't."

"Exactly," Mia said to her, "that's why I'm so surprised that Terry is here." She then sped up her pace once she noticed the Shiba car. "Come on, let's get back."

"What was _that _all about?" Mike muttered.

"I have no idea," Emily replied.

* * *

**A/N: **Didn't mean to have this up so late, and sorry for the long wait between chapters. I hope you guys liked this one. I'm going back and forth debating on whether or not I'm going to have Terry be around for a while. I haven't made an ultimate decision yet, but I just wanted you guys to know.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	31. Chapter 31: Dayu's Return

**.:Chapter Thirty-One –Dayu's Return:.**

* * *

When the Rangers got back to the Shiba House, Terry wasn't there. Mentor told them that Terry had stepped out to meet the rest of his band mates to find a place to rehearse and that he would be back as soon as possible. Mia was still shocked to hear that her brother was in town, but she was excited to see him nonetheless. She was busy making a snack for everyone when the front door opened and she heard Mike call her brother's name.

She hurried out of the kitchen, balancing a tray of cookies on one arm, tea on the other. She handed Emily the cookies before shoving the tray of tea into Melody's arms as she made her way into the kitchen. Melody nearly dropped them, surprised at the object suddenly rammed into her ribs.

"Sure, Mia, I'll be happy to hold these for you," Melody said, her words dripping with sarcasm. Emily laughed before motioning for the Purple Ranger to follow her into the living room.

"Terry!" A wide smile spread across Mia's face as she hurried over to her brother, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. "Oh, Terry, it's _so _good to see you."

"Hey, sis," Terry replied, hugging her back, just as tight. "It's been a long time. You look great."

"So do you," Mia replied, taking a step back to get a good look at him. "Oh, you haven't met Kevin yet."

"Hi," Kevin said, offering his hand to Terry.

"Hey," Terry replied with a warm smile. "You're blue right?" Kevin nodded and Terry shook his hand, harder. "Awesome, dude. I'm glad to know you've got my sister's back."

"Yeah, no problem," Kevin replied, before nodding towards the guitar on Terry's back. "That's a sick guitar; mind if I take a look?"

"Sure, go ahead," Terry replied, dropping his left shoulder, allowing his guitar to fall off. He then held it out to him and Kevin grasped it by its neck. "Do you play too?"

"Kevin?" Mike asked, jerking his thumb over to the Blue Ranger. "Play the guitar?" He then said in a stage whisper. "I'm sorry, you haven't gotten the memo; Kevin doesn't know how to have fun outside of samurai training."

"Hey, swimming is fun," Kevin said with a frown, looking over the guitar. "_And_ it helps build your core and arm muscles. Maybe you should try it, it'll help you with your overall shinai technique."

"And again I say, he doesn't know how to have fun outside of samurai training," Mike said with a grin. He frowned when Kevin used the end of the guitar to jab him in the back.

"Terry, what are you doing here?" Mia asked, "not that I'm not happy to see you. I just don't think mom and dad would be too happy knowing you snuck off to see me."

"Well…I'm putting the band back together," Terry replied, his smile fading slightly. "We've got a concert on Friday and I was kind of hoping you'd sing with us." Mia slowly nodded her head, her mouth forming a thin line.

"Terry, I don't think that's—"

"Oh come on, Mia!" Emily cried, setting the tray of cookies down onto the table before shaking her friend's shoulder. "We want to see you rock out on stage!"

"From all the singing you do in the shower, being on stage should be no problem," Melody added, resting her arm on Mia's shoulder. "You're really good."

"Thanks, but I don't think this is a good idea," Mia said with a shake of her head. She then grabbed Terry's shoulder and leaned in, lowering her voice. "Can I talk to you outside for a minute?"

"But—"

"_Now_," Mia added in a harsh whisper.

Terry slowly nodded and Mia pulled him out of the two doors he just came through. Now, it all made sense to her. Besides seeing her again, he had come just to try and jump start his musical dream. There were more important things Mia had to take care of, like keeping the world safe, and most importantly keeping her _family _safe. As soon as she was outside, Mia crossed her arms over her chest and paced for a moment before turning to face her baby brother, planting her hands on her hips.

"Are you out of your mind?" she asked. Terry blinked. "Now's not the time to be thinking about music Terry. There are more important things you could be doing."

"Mia, what gives?" Terry asked. "I thought you'd be happy. We always wanted to be the world's greatest rock band. Remember?"

"Of course I remember," Mia replied, softening a little bit. She let out a breath of air, running her fingers through her hair. "Terry, you're supposed to be thinking about your future. _Not _playing gigs." Terry laughed a little bit. "I fail to see the humor in this, Terry."

"Lighten up, sis," he said, the smile still on his face. He slid his hands into his jeans pockets. "It's just one show. That's it. It's not like I'm going on a world tour or anything."

"Be realistic," Mia said, leaning over to look into her brother's eyes.

"I _am_ being realistic," Terry replied. "I want to be a doctor and I want to be a musician too. Why can't I do both?"

"Terry, you _know_ you've got a better shot at going to med school than becoming a rock star," Mia said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Terry frowned, throwing her hand off. Mia blinked in surprise before slowly lowering her arm. "You know mom and dad wouldn't approve of this." She then pressed her lips together for a moment. "But that was why you didn't tell them you were coming."

Terry was silent for a moment before slowly turning to face Mia. "You sound just like mom and dad," he said slowly, an accusatory tone to his voice. He let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "I thought you'd understand how important this is to me. I thought you'd want to have fun. One last time."

"Maybe they're right, Terry," Mia replied, briefly closing her eyes. "Mom and dad; maybe they're right." A look of disbelief crossed Terry's face. "We're just looking out for you, Terry. _I'm _looking out for you. It's dangerous out here and—"

"If you wanted to look out for me, you'd be my big sister and help me out," Terry said, interrupting her, his eyes narrowing slightly. He scratched at his eyebrow with his thumbnail and added under his breath, "the _old_ Mia would help me no questions asked. Dad talks about you all the time. About how proud he is of you whenever he catches a news report about the Samurai Rangers."

"I'm still the same Mia." She noticed the sound of desperation creeping into her voice as she reached out to touch her brother's arm. He took a step away from her. "Terry! You know I'd do anything to help you, but I can't do this. I've got bigger responsibilities now. And so do you."

"I know what my responsibilities are, Mia, thanks," Terry muttered, kicking at the ground. He shook his head. "From what I've heard from mentor, you've been hanging around Kevin a lot; you're fighting partners and everything, just like mom and his dad. Maybe you're becoming more like him."

"What do you mean?" Mia asked quietly.

"It's like what Mike said, Kevin doesn't know how to have fun outside of samurai training," Terry replied, setting his jaw. "Maybe you forgot how to have fun." Mia gasped. "I know you're a Power Ranger and everything, and you're looking out for the planet, but I can look out for myself, Mia. I'll go get my stuff; it was obviously a waste of time to even come here. Mom always said that being a Ranger you had a lot on your plate. She's right…you don't need to worry about your little brother. I'm just adding extra baggage."

"Terry," Mia reached for him again, but Terry turned on his heels and headed back into the house. "_Terry_!"

"It's fine, Mia," Terry said shortly, making his way into the living room where Jayden and Kevin had started up a game of chess. Mike and Emily were watching them and Melody was sitting by Mike, biting into an apple. "You don't want to help me, I get it." He wiggled his fingers for his guitar and Melody handed it to him. Terry paused, looking at her. "You said you sing right?"

Melody looked back and forth from Mia's look of hurt and confusion to Terry's disappointment. "I'm not getting involved," she said, putting her hands up defensively. "Sorry, dude."

"Fine," Terry grumbled. "I'll just find another singer." He shouldered his guitar and brushed past her. "It was great to see you again, sis."

"Terry, just wait, please?" Mia asked, grabbing onto his elbow. "Antonio wants to meet you; the Gold Ranger. He's getting his guitar. He said he wanted to jam with you or something." Terry hesitated for a moment before giving a curt nod, and stepping out the front doors. Mia let out a heavy sigh, putting her hand to her head.

"Mia, what happened?" Mike asked. Mia didn't answer. "We thought it'd be cool if you and Terry performed together."

"Don't encourage him, guys," Mia said with a shake of her head. "Seriously. He needs to be focusing on his medical career, not his music. He'll thank me one day." She then turned and headed into the kitchen, but stopped short realizing there was nothing for her to do. It was too early to start dinner, and she had just finished cleaning from making cookies.

"What's up, Mia?" Kevin asked, walking up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder, guiding her over to a stool hat sat by the island. "I have a feeling this isn't just about Terry wanting to play music."

"What else could it be about?" Mia asked.

"You tell me," Kevin replied, resting his arm on the counter. "You and I both know that you'd do anything you could to help people out whether it's from a cut, to making sure they're ok in general, to wanting to help out your brother." He tilted his head as he peered at her. "That's just who you are and it's something I really like about you."

Mia couldn't help but smile. "That's sweet, Kev." Her smile faded a little bit. "I'm worried about my brother."

"You think he's doing the wrong thing?" Kevin asked. "Going after music instead of his medical career?"

"My parents still hold on to the old fashioned beliefs," Mia said with a heavy sigh. "I honestly believe that medical school will help Terry out in the long run. But, that's not the only thing I'm worried about." She was silent for a moment, before she turned to face Kevin. "The last time we saw Dayu—"

"What does Dayu have to do with this?" Kevin asked; a confused look on his face.

"Her harmonium was broken," Mia replied. She bit her lower lip. "The last time we saw her, she had taken this guy hostage because of his—"

"Guitar," Kevin finished for her and Mia nodded.

"She wanted to use his guitar to fix her harmonium, I just know it," Mia replied with a frown. "I'm not just helping him with his career path, but I'm trying to keep him safe."

"So, why didn't you just tell him that?" Kevin asked. "Terry would understand. You know he would."

"I do know that," Mia agreed. "But, at the same time, how do you warn somebody, that knows their sister is a Power Ranger, that there's a chance a Nighlok could be after them? We haven't seen everything Dayu can do. Not yet." She let out a heavy sigh. "Anyway, I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't give me a chance."

Mia let out a heavy sigh, blowing her bangs off of her forehead. What Terry said to her hurt her heart, but she could understand why he was so upset. He was right, she had always been there to help him out of any problem, and now here she was, turning her back on him. She was being a parent; telling him that his dreams didn't matter.

"I just wish this was easier," Mia said with a shake of her head. "That life was easier."

"You mean normal?" Kevin asked, and Mia silently nodded. "I figured you'd learn by now that things around this place aren't normal." Mia couldn't help but laugh a little bit. "Honestly, I don't think there is anything in this world that is normal. At least not anymore; it doesn't feel like it. I mean, once you take away the training, the Nighlok fights, learning kanji, and symbol power and everything we're as weird as it comes. "

Kevin started counting off on his fingers. "Now, Mike; he's a little oddball that tries to get a laugh out of everybody, even if it means making a fool out of himself. Mel; if it's not one sarcastic comment here, it's another. Emily is essentially _never _upset and that's just weird, and Antonio…well, he uses the word 'Golden' too much for my liking."

"And Jayden?" Mia asked.

"He's like one of those kids that wants to be around everybody, but is always to himself, if that makes sense," Kevin concluded after a moment of thought. "We're surrounded by a whole bunch of crazy people, that we probably wouldn't associate ourselves with if we weren't united by this Ranger thing."

"And what about us?" Mia asked, giving him a curious look.

"We're like, the two parents that try and run this weird family," Kevin replied. "We can be weird from time to time, but, I'd say we're the most normal people here."

"You're crazy," Mia said with a shake of her head.

"And yet…I think I'm happiest here then I have been in a long while," Kevin replied, a thoughtful look on his face. He then shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Don't tell anyone I said that. Especially Mike."

"Secret is safe with me," Mia replied, making a zip the lip motion. She then drummed her fingers on the table. "I guess I should go find Terry and apologize." Kevin made a face. "You don't think I should?"

"I don't have any siblings, so I can't really say anything about it, but whenever I get mad and say some things I don't mean, I always take some time to myself, to think about what I had said, and to calm down," Kevin replied. He was talking slowly as if he was choosing his words carefully. "But, that's just my opinion."

He then shook his head. "Anyway, what I'm really trying to say is that normal isn't so normal anymore. Our normal is more exciting. You never know for sure what's going to happen." He laughed a little bit. "I'm not good with pep talks or trying to make people feel better. But…do you feel better?"

"Yeah," Mia replied with a short nod. She then peered curiously at him. "You know, I've always felt a little sorry for Jayden since he's never had a normal life, and he doesn't understand all the references and stuff that other kids would. But, I feel a little sorry for you as well."

"Me?" Kevin asked, blinking in surprise. "Why?"

"Well, like you said, you don't have any brothers or sisters, and we all know how much training, samurai and swimming, means to you," Mia replied. "So, you didn't really have a normal life either, if that was really all you did."

"Yeah, but you don't have to worry about me," Kevin replied, looking as if he hadn't thought of what she said applied to him.

"Can't help it," Mia replied, resting her elbow on the island, leaning her head against her fist. "I mean, we're teammates after all."

"Right," Kevin replied with a short nod. "We have to look after each other."

"Exactly," Mia replied, giving a nod as well. She opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped when the phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID before grabbing the phone, pressing the answer key, holding it up to her ear. "Shiba Residence. Oh, hey, Antonio. Music store? Why? Ok, I'll tell her. Yeah, I got it. See you later."

"What'd Antonio want?" Kevin asked as Mia hung up the phone.

"He said he'll be back home later after he and Terry play some music together," Mia replied with a wave of her hand. "And he wants me to tell Mel to stop by the music store to get him some new guitar strings while she's out getting her hair done."

"Why can't he just get them while he's out?" Melody asked, causing Mia to jump. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She held up her eaten apple core, making her way over to the trash can. I wasn't eavesdropping. I just caught the last thing you were saying."

"That's ok," Mia replied with a shake of her head. "I don't know, he sounded like he was in a hurry and he was out of breath. But, you'd have to ask Antonio about that." She gave her a grin. "Although, I can probably think of a few hundred reasons why Antonio would want you to get guitar strings for him."

Melody rolled her eyes as Kevin got up, hurrying out of the room, muttering something about "girl talk" on his way out. "You ok?" Melody asked Mia and the Pink Ranger nodded. "Little brothers can be a pain in the ass, huh?"

Mia laughed. "Terry and I get along so well, I wouldn't call him a pain in the ass," she replied.

"I call Skylar a pain in the ass all the time because that's what he is," Melody replied. "To me at least. But, that's how we bond with each other. We call each other names and put each other down."

"Are you here to give me advice on what I should do?" Mia asked and Melody's lips twitched. "Whenever you give people advice, I notice that you tell them a story about something that happened in your life."

"Only if I know it would actually help them out," Melody replied. "But, no, I'm not." She then moved to the seat that Kevin had just abandoned. "I want to apologize to you since I lied to you." Mia gave her a confused look. "I wasn't eavesdropping, but I could hear every word you said. Remember? Shortly after I came here I explained that my hearing got better. Like, way better than any average human's."

"I remember," Mia replied.

"I think what you said about Dayu…I think we need to be careful with Terry around," Melody replied, brushing her hair out of her face. "When I heard you bring up her name, and the fact that Dayu wanted that guy's guitar, I went ahead and texted Antonio to keep an eye out while he was with your brother."

"Thanks, Mel," Mia replied, giving the Purple Ranger a warm smile.

"What are teammates for?" Melody asked with a shrug. She then gave Mia a pointed look. "That's not entirely how you think of Kevin is it?" Mia open and closed her mouth, surprised at the sudden change of topics. "I thought so."

"I don't know what I think about Kevin," Mia replied.

"Well, you heard Terry, he's glad Kevin has your back," Melody said with a shrug. "So, at least you know you have his approval." She laughed when Mia swatted her arm. "I'm just saying."

"Can I ask you something?" Mia asked, tilting her head to the side. Melody nodded. "Why do you like to help people?"

"It makes me feel better about myself, to remind myself that I'm a good person," Melody replied, a serious look crossing her face. "I try to remember that when my powers get the best of me. When that happens, I can never really help myself. I like to know there's a glimmer of hope that someone I helped will turn around and help me when I need it."

"I'll help you," Mia said, getting to her feet. "I've only caught a glimpse of what would happen to you, but that was scary, too. You've helped me a lot since you came, I should return the favor."

"Thanks Mia," Melody replied.

"What are big sisters for?" Mia asked with a small laugh and Melody raised an eyebrow._ What _are_ big sisters for? To have their siblings back. To look out for them. To be there for them when they need it the most_. Mia spotted the knowing look on Melody's face as she turned, giving a finger wave, before grabbing the car keys off of the hook. "She's good."

"_I know_."

Mia laughed. As her laughter subsided, her smile faded a little bit. She got out of her seat heading for the back door. "I'm going for a walk, don't wait up."

* * *

Terry was halfway to Panorama City's theater when he realized someone was running behind him, trying to get his attention. He turned to face the teenaged boy as he stopped beside him, hands on knees, breathing heavily. He was holding a guitar, where the body was shaped like a fish.

"Hi," Terry said, watching as the boy took in a deep breath of air, regaining control of his breathing.

"Hey, you must be the musician brother. Do you play as well as Mia cooks?"

Terry gave a short laugh. "Dude, I hope not," he mumbled.

"I'm just messing with you, I'm Antonio," the boy said, offering Terry his sweaty hand. Antonio quickly wiped his hand on his pants before offering it in a shake again. "Antonio Garcia."

"Terry," Terry replied. "Do you sing, Antonio?" He pointed to the fish shaped guitar hanging off of Antonio's shoulder.

"Mainly while I'm fishing," Antonio replied. "They haven't complained yet." He and Terry shared a laugh. "My buds told me all about you, and I wanted to meet you. Maybe play a few songs or something."

"Well, I guess we can never have too many guitarists," Terry said, shifting his own guitar from one shoulder to the other. "What we really need is a singer. Or rather…_another _singer. We have someone on backing vocals, but we need a lead singer."

"Sounds good, I'm your main," Antonio replied, slapping a hand over his chest.

"Ah, you'd have to go through a little audition first," Terry replied with a grin. "I have to hear you use your golden pipes. I hear that's your color."

"Best voice in the Shiba House," Antonio said, puffing out his chest. "Well, I've never really heard Mel sing, and Mia only really sings in the shower. That's the only time I've really heard her sing. But, why won't she help you out?"

"I don't know," Terry admitted with a heavy sigh. "I thought she would. But, that doesn't really matter I guess. What's important in this gig that we have. It's on Friday so we have two days to get ready. I know it's short notice, but I know we can do it."

"Golden!" Antonio said with a nod. "I work well under pressure." He reached into his pocket when his cell phone started to ring.

He reached inside and pulled out his Samurai Morpher before quickly shoving it back into his pocket. He reached into his other pocket with his other hand and pulled out his cell phone. He flipped it open with his thumb and an animated notification of an envelope opening and a letter popping out flashed on his screen with the words: _1 new message_ flashing underneath. He opened the text message and quickly read it.

**Mel: **_Mia and I think Terry might be in danger. Keep an eye out for any Moogers or Nighlok, especially for Dayu. Don't give away your secret. Terry may know, but the other musicians don't. Delete this message as soon as you read it._

Antonio did as he was told, deleting the message as he looked up and over his shoulder. He wasn't expecting anything to come jumping out at him that second, but he knew never to underestimate how surprising Nighlok attacks could be.

"You ok?" Terry asked as Antonio did a complete 180, sliding his phone into his pocket. "Anything wrong?"

"No, everything's fine," Antonio replied with a smile. "Let's go jam!"

"Great!" Terry grinned, leading the rest of the way to the city's theater. He pulled open the front doors, allowing a blast of cold air to hit the two of them in the face. He followed the muffled sound of drums and lead Antonio on the stage. The drumming stopped.

"Antonio, that's Seth on the drums, Kyle on guitar, Dakota is the one with the long hair, and Dean on the soundboard," Terry said, pointing to each of the boys. "Dean also supplies the electronic beats to our songs."

"So, where's your sister?" Seth asked, twirling his drumsticks around his fingers. He brushed his hair out of his face with his shoulder. "I thought you were going to get her to sing with us."

"Yeah, dude, the concert is in _two days_," Kyle added, pausing in tuning his guitar. He played a chord and Antonio jumped, when the loud sound rang his ears. He slapped his hands over his ears and turned, spotting the amp. "Sorry, mate."

"Mia's not coming, but her friend Antonio plays and sings," Terry quickly replied, spotting the looks of disappointment on his friend's faces. "We can just jam with him for a little while and figure things out. He's better than nothing and it _was _short notice."

"Yeah, man, but you promised your sister," Seth said with a shake of his head. "I mean, you've gone on and on about how well she sings. We were expecting her." He looked over at Antonio. "No offense, dude."

"Some things came up, that's all," Terry muttered, grabbing an amp chord, unraveling it. "We should be happy I could find anybody on such short notice."

"I promise I won't let you guys down," Antonio said, looking at each of the musicians. "We'll be ready for Friday." He then added quietly, "I've written some songs too. They're not that great, but—"

"Let's just play, yeah?" Dakota, said, sounding impatient. "We'll see if Antonio here can work with us."

"Let's see what you got, dude," the drummer said, swinging his drumstick down onto a cymbal as if for emphasis.

"_Yes, let's see what you've got_."

Antonio stopped what he was doing and slowly turned to look out over the empty seats in the audience, his blood running cold when he spotted Dayu slowly making her way down the aisles, dragging the fingers of her right hand over the tops of the chairs she passed, the other gripping her damaged harmonium tightly to her chest.

"Y-You're one of those monsters on TV," Dakita said, pointing a shaky finger at her.

"Ah, so you _have_ heard of me," Dayu said, her lips splitting to reveal a toothy grin. "Dayu. Pleasure to meet you. Now, which one of you are going to give me your guitars?"

"Here! Take it!" Seth grabbed his friend's guitar, holding it out to her.

"Dude, give it back!" Kyle cried, grabbing his cherry red guitar back from him. He then turned back towards Dayu. "What do you need our guitars for? The Rangers will be here soon to stop you!"

Antonio fought the urge to look over at Terry. There was no way he could morph in front of the other musicians, and he knew that Dayu could give away his secret at any time. Last he saw Dayu was shortly before Jayden's last duel with Deker. He didn't know what she was up to or if she was detected by a Gap Sensor, but he knew that he had to do everything he could to make sure no one got hurt.

Dayu slowly turned, laying her cold eyes on Antnio who gulped, taking a step back. "Oh, I'm sure the Rangers will be here at any second," she replied. "That's just what I'm waiting for."

"I don't like this." Seth was shaking his head. He was talking out of the side of his mouth, afraid to move. "Why hasn't she done anything? She could easily take these things from us."

"I have no idea," Kyle admitted, "but it can't be good,"

"You think the Rangers can handle it though?" Dakota asked.

"I'm sure of it," Seth replied.

Antonio could feel Terry's eyes burning holes in the back of his head. He knew that all he had to do was slip away, morph, and fight Dayu. But, he knew how dangerous that could be in itself. She could do anything to the boys while she was gone. And who knew how much stronger she had got since the last time he had seen her. Pools of Sanzu River water were popping up faster than you could think.

Suddenly, a mass of darkness appeared on the ground, growing bigger and bigger in front of their eyes. Dayu turned just in time for Jaeger to launch himself through the shadows and onto her, knocking her over.

"Dude, that lion's freaking _huge_," Dean gasped, stepping away from the soundboard to scramble over to his friends.

"It's with the Rangers though, I recognize it from TV," Dakota muttered, looking around wildly.

Dayu let out a growl of frustration before stabbing his paw with her short sword, revealing it by pulling it from the head of the Harmonium. The lion let out a loud roar of pain, seconds before a ball of energy shot out of it's mouth, slamming her in the chest. Dayu let out a grunt of pain as she was thrown back, slamming into the concrete wall behind her.

"Get out," Jaeger said, turning towards the boys. They all jumped when they heard him start talking. "Go, now! I'll take care of her."

"Uh, right," Dakota said before leading the rush off of the stage, rushing past Antonio. "Come on, dude! Don't just stand there."

"I'm right behind you," Antonio called over his shoulder, slowly taking a step back. He glanced back over his shoulder, making sure that Terry and his band was gone before turning back to the fighting. "Jaeger, are you ok?"

Jaeger jumped out of the way of Dayu's rushing attack, and whipped around, slamming his tail into her back, knocking her over. "I'm good," he replied. "I sensed you were in trouble so I rushed over here."

"How touching," Dayu said, wiping at her mouth. "Hate to admit it, but I forgot all about this lap dog. I'll just have to find another way to fix my harmonium."

"Why is that stupid hunk of junk so important to you?" Jaeger asked, baring his large teeth, the fur on his back standing on end.

"Hunk of junk?" Dayu repeated. "You don't understand! You humans would never understand centuries and centuries of heart ache!" Antonio's nose wrinkled. "I thought taking the precious Pink Ranger's brother hostage would be just the tip of the iceberg of the heart ache I would give to you Rangers, but maybe one of their own would be even better. The tears of the Rangers would make the Sanzu flood, the musical skills and powers that you possess would make me invincible and Master Xandred would welcome me back with open arms, seeing that I could do something he can't since he's stuck on that stupid ship all day."

"Fat chance, Dayu," Antonio growled. "Master Xandred has already replaced you with a Nighlok named Serrator."

Dayu's jaws slackened. Her fierce gaze softened and she stared at the two of them in shock. "Can it really be?" she asked quietly. "Serrator? Are you sure?" Before Antonio or Jaeger could say anything else, Dayu disappeared through a gap.

"What was that about?" Antonio asked, turning towards Jaeger.

"I have no idea," Jaeger replied lifting his injured paw, licking away the blood. "Are you ok, Antonio?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Antonio replied with a nod. "I'm going to go find Terry and them. But, where've you been this whole time? I haven't seen you around the house lately."

"I'll explain as soon as all this excitement dies down," Jaeger replied, his whiskers twitching. "Tell the other Rangers for me."

"You got it," Antonio replied. Jaeger nodded as darkness swirled at his feet. He then took a step forward, sinking down into the darkness, until he disappeared and the black mass disappeared.

* * *

Melody hummed to herself as she stood in front of a shop window, staring at her reflection, running her fingers through her hair, twisting her head left and right to see the purple streaks she added to her hair. She adjusted the plastic bag in her hand and straightened, turning and running smack dab into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized before she noticed who it was that she ran into. "What do you want Jake?"

"What else do I want?" Jake asked, throwing his arms into the air. "I want to talk to you."

"You seriously need to stop stalking me," Melody replied, stepping around him, making her way down the sidewalk. "I don't have anything to say to you."

"I'm not stalking you," Jake replied. "I just saw you and came over to talk. I moved here first, remember? Not that it was due to the best circumstances. As soon as I'm done I'll leave you alone, promise."

"Funny, I remember you making that promise once before," Melody commented. Her lips twitched. "You wanted to apologize for leaving Jason drunk to walk home after your stupid party. And look where we are now."

"I know that was stupid," Jake said, running his fingers through his hair. "Jason could've gotten himself hurt. I know how much you cared about him at the time."

"I still do," Melody replied. "Not that it's any of your business who I care about."

"I know, I know," Jake replied, scratching the back of his head. He let out a heavy sigh, grabbing her arm. "Please! Just listen."

"Ow!" Melody cried as his fingers dug into her wrist. "Let go!" She struggled to pry his fingers from her, but he held on tighter. "I get that you want me to listen to you, but—let go! You're hurting me!"

"Will you listen to me if I let you go?" Jake asked, his eyebrows lowering.

"Let go of my arm," Melody said, trying to pull back. "Let go of my arm!"

"You heard her," Jayden said, walking over to the two of them, carrying shopping bags in his arms. "Let go of her arm." Jake looked over at Jayden before doing as he suggested. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Melody replied, rubbing at her wrist. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Mia went for a walk and you and Antonio were still out, but Emily and Kevin suggested we have Mia's brother stay for dinner tonight, so we needed more food to accommodate," Jayden replied, lifting the bags in his hands. "I was hoping I'd run into you so you could give me a lift back home."

"You'll always have someone around to protect you, when are you going to deal with things on your own?" Jake asked, his upper lip curling as he looked over at Jayden. "So, what, he's your boyfriend now?"

"Trust me, if he was, you'd know it," Melody replied, her voice even. "I don't need anyone to protect me." She was silent for a moment as she massaged her wrist. "You touch me again and you'll be lucky if you can even breathe out of your nose for the rest of your life." She nodded her head towards Jayden. "Let's go; I parked over here."

"I'm sorry," Jake said, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry for everything, ok? I'm sorry for Jason, I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry for Billy."

Melody stopped walking, her right eye narrowing slightly as she slowly turned around to face Jake. "What?"

"I said…I'm sorry about Billy," Jake repeated. He swallowed thickly. "I wanted to call you. So bad. I just…I didn't know what to say. I wanted you to know that I never, _ever_ wanted to hurt Billy. Not like that. I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about?" Melody asked slowly. Her hands slowly curled into fists at her sides.

"I didn't want to see Billy get hurt," Jake replied, bowing his head. "I never meant for him to be hurt. I wasn't thinking. I wanted to call you after it happened. I wanted to warn you. But, I didn't know how you'd take it, especially from me." He lifted his head and looked her in the eye. "I want you to know that I'm sorry. I know I should've told you years ago, but I didn't think you'd want to even look at me. I thought by now things would be ok."

A look of realization crossed Melody's face as she slowly marched over to him. "You?" she asked quietly. "_You_ beat up Billy?" Jake slowly nodded. "You beat him up and you never told me? Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I understand he left Angel Grove a little while later," Jake said, rubbing his hands together. "I'm sorry if what I did caused it—"

"What you did—" Melody suddenly stopped talking, an eerily calm look crossing her face. "You know what? Thank you for telling me." She put her hands up, taking a large step back. "I talked to you and now you can leave me alone, just like you promised." She turned and walked away from him, grabbing Jayden's elbow. "Come on."

Jayden glanced back at Jake over his shoulder, but didn't say anything for a while. "So are you going to let him stalk and bully you for the rest of your life?" he asked as they neared the Shiba car.

"Excuse me?" Melody asked, giving him an annoyed look.

"You heard me," Jayden replied calmly. "You're a skilled martial artist, you could've taken him down if you wanted, but you didn't. Has he always pushed you around? I figured of anyone, you wouldn't let someone treat you like that."

"Silly me, I didn't realize you cared so much," Melody snapped, her eyes flashing. Jayden raised his eyebrows at her. "Funny thing with evil spells and powers, Jayden; it's a big like alcohol one could say. You get too much of it and you start saying things and acting in ways you wouldn't normally, and yet it's all based around truth. I know how much you resented the fact that you actually had to lead the team at first. And don't forget I was there when part of your memory was erased. You didn't care about anyone else before, why should you now?"

"Because I've learned how important it is to work as a team," Jayden replied simply. "But, that's not what we're talking about."

"…Jake's not the first to do that," Melody said with a shake of her head, seeming to calm down a little bit. "My uncle pushed me around sometimes. I used to think I deserved it; I did get into trouble a lot when I was younger, sometimes on purpose. It seemed like the only way to get his attention from time to time."

"And Jake?" Jayden asked.

Melody let out a bark of sardonic laughter. "He gave me the attention I was looking for at the time," she replied. "I was a junior in high school, never had a boyfriend, and had a huge crush on my best friend at the time who's main priority was our Ranger team." She kicked at a rock on the ground. "I always said if I was ever in a situation like that I wouldn't stick around, but you never really know how you'd act unless you were in that situation. It wasn't anything really bad, just like what you saw, a lot of grabbing."

"And Billy?" Jayden asked.

"For the longest time, people teased Billy about being smart and nerdy," Melody replied. "Billy was going through a tough time, but he decided to come with me and my friends Adam and Tanya to the mall one evening because I wanted to get a new CD. He left early to catch the bus since we were taking longer than we planned, and the next time I saw him, which was two days later, he was beat up; lip split, covered in bruises. He said it happened too quickly, he didn't know who did it or why, but he was different after that. He soon left town after that. I haven't seen him since."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jayden replied. He blinked when Melody started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You may be good at leading people into battle, but you're absolutely _terrible_ when it comes to be sympathetic to people," she replied with a grin. Jayden opened his mouth and she shook her head. "Don't apologize. I've been meaning to get that off my chest for a while. I just miss him, that's all." She then peered curiously up at him. "So, are you always going to be around, ready to help me out or what?"

"That depends," Jayden replied, his lips twitching. "Are you always going to be reckless and put yourself into those kinds of situations?"

"It spices up life a little bit, don't you think?" Melody asked with a small laugh. "It takes the every day-ness out of every day."

"So, that's a yes," Jayden said with a nod.

"My hero," Melody replied and Jayden rolled his eyes. "I guess it's not a bad thing knowing that you'll be around to protect me then. Thanks for back there by the way."

"You're welcome, but I thought you said you didn't need anyone to protect you," Jayden replied.

"Figured you'd know by now that 9 times out of 10 I'm just talking tough," Melody said, tilting her head to the side to look at him. "Everyone needs someone's help at one point or another. Honestly, I think we're all going to need each other's help more and more. I'll be the first to admit I'm stubborn like that, but even I know when I really need help."

"Which is why I came looking for you," Jayden said and Melody gave him a confused look. She suddenly turned into a church parking lot and Jayden spotted the car. "I've been thinking about what happened on the beach earlier—"

"I told you, I can't do it. I can't lead them," Melody said, interrupting Jayden shaking her head.

**"**Why can't you?" Jayden asked. Melody raised the keys in her hand and jabbed her thumb into the small remote hanging off of it. There was a high pitched beeping sound and the back door to the Shiba car slowly open, raising into the air.

**"**Because I'm not a leader," Melody replied, simply.

**"**Yet they all treat you like one," Jayden replied, "when they listen to you."

**"**I don't know how to help them," Melody said, shaking her head. "I don't like giving people orders. I'll fail. I don't have what it takes."

"If anyone can do it, it's you," Jayden replied. He was silent for a moment. He started putting the shopping bags into the back of the car. "I believe in you."

Melody barely heard what he said over the rustling of the plastic bags. "Way to melt a girl's heart." She paused. "Not that I care."

"Of course not," Jayden agreed, reaching up to grab the handle on the inside of the door, pulling the back door down. "That would be unheard of." He stiffened when he heard the familiar ring from the Samuraizer. As he slammed the car door shut, Melody put her Samuraizer up to her ear.

"Go on, I read you," Melody said into her Samuraizer.

"_Nighlok attack in the abandoned warehouse district_," Mentor Ji's voice filled Melody's ear.

"Of course there is," Melody muttered under her breath. "Got it, Mentor. Jayden and I are on the way." She closed her Samuraizer with her hip. "Nighlok attack, we gotta motor." She then licked her lips and let out a shrill whistle. There was a sudden rush of wind, and Jaeger appeared at her side, his fur looking windswept. "Nighlok attack in the abandoned warehouse district. Jayden and I will meet you there, but go to the Shiba House, and get the other Rangers. I'm sure they'll be alerted by then."

"Antonio is practicing with Terry at the theater, which isn't too far from here, we'll pick him up," Jayden added and Jaeger nodded. "Mia said she went for a walk. She might not be too far. If she hasn't joined us, and it looks like we're in big trouble in the Nighlok fight, go find her."

"You got it," Jaeger replied, giving another nod before he disappeared in another gust of strong wind.

Melody hurried to the driver's side door. She climbed into the Shiba car, slamming the door behind her, buckling herself up. She then turned on the car and shifted it into reverse as Jayden climbed in, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Step on it," he said to her as he slid the seat belt over his chest and locked it with a click.

"Poor choice of words, Jay," Melody replied before stomping her foot down on the gas pedal. The car zoomed backwards and Melody quickly shifted the car into drive, peeling out of the parking lot. "What do you think? Normal Nighlok attack?"

"We'll find out when we get there," Jayden replied, flipping open his Samuraizer, a map appearing on the screen with a pulsating dot. "Turn right up here." He grabbed onto the door handle when she suddenly turned right, seconds before the yellow light she was approaching turned red. "But, since this is the first big attack since the Bullzord, we can't expect it to be easy."

* * *

**A/N: **I meant to updated _Divided We Fall _before this chapter, but I had a dream last night that corresponded to this and I just had to write it. However, due to the chapter length, and the initial plot point for this chapter, you won't see what I'm talking about until the next one, and it has to do with Jayden/Melody for all of you guys out there who are still waiting for them to get together. *winky face*

I hope you guys liked this chapter!

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	32. Chapter 32: Rock-y Road

**.:Chapter Thirty-Two – Rock-y Road:.**

* * *

Mia let out a heavy sigh through her nose as she pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. She was confused; she was upset that her brother wanted to spend all his tome making music, and yet happy that he had a hobby he was truly passionate about, and worried at the same time that Dayu was going to get to him, not that she really had any reason to worry as they hadn't seen Dayu in such a long time.

She was waiting for him at the park; she had received a text from him a few minutes after she arrived asking if they could talk. Having not listened to him at all before, she could give him that much. But, she was adamant that she wanted to keep him safe, and to do that, she was going to have to disappoint him. She was mentally preparing herself for it, but at the same time, she didn't think she'd really be able to face him when he was hurt. They were so close.

_Why can't Terry just focus on his future and not his rock band_? She thought to herself, letting out a little huff of air as she ran her hands over her face. _Can't he see that mom, dad, and I just want what's best for him? _She briefly closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping. "I _do_ sound like mom," she muttered. "And we _did _used to have some fun together."

"Uh, excuse me—"

"Look, Terry, I just wanted to apologize—" Mia stopped in the middle of her sentence as she turned and came face to face with Spike. She gave him a warm smile. "Oh! It's you."

"Woah," Spike stuttered, taking a step back from her. A goofy smile crossed his face. "Hi."

"I'm so, so sorry I thought you were someone else," Mia apologized. "You're Mel's friend, right? Spike? I'm Mia." She offered him her hand and Spike stuck out his. Mia grasped his hand and shook it, arching an eyebrow as Spike's goofy grin widened as his arm flapped up and down.

"Mia," Spike repeated. He then shook his head, swallowing thickly. "Um, is Mel here, too?"

"Oh, right," Mia replied, slowly nodding. "No, I'm here by myself." Spike's smile faded a little bit. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, it's just…I haven't seen her around for a while, you know," Spike replied with a shrug. "I miss her a little." His eyes then brightened. "But, you said you're here friend? Do you know where she is? How's she doing?"

"She's…she's doing well," Mia replied, feeling her heart clench for a moment. Here she was with her brother in town and she had practically sent him away after a year of not seeing him, and the whole time all Melody's family and friends wanted to see her. "I don't see her that often, but we hang out sometimes. She's been…going through a tough time lately, but she's doing well."

"Good, good," Spike replied, nodding repeatedly. He scratched at the back of his neck and then started, as if noticing that the paper in his hands just appeared there. "Well, um, I came over because, uh, well—"

"Is that for me?" Mia asked, noticing the piece of paper in his hands. Spike nodded, handing the flyer over to her.

"I wanted to invite you to, um, this _thing_—"

He stopped when he heard a ringing sound hit the air. Mia's hand immediately flew to her pocket, her eyes widening slightly. _Something must be up_. She gave Spike another smile. "Look, I'm sorry, but I really have to get going," she said, starting to step around him. "It's an emergency."

"But—"

"I _really_ have to go, I'm sorry," Mia said, placing a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before she took off running.

Spike barely managed to get the flyer into her hands before she was off running, giving Bulk a brief smile before she rounded the corner. She slowed down her chest heaving as she looked around, making sure that no one was watching her. She quickly folded the flyer and stuck it into her back pocket before retrieving her Samuraizer.

"I'm here," Mia said breathlessly, taking in a deep breath of air to regulate her breathing.

"_Nighlok attack in the abandoned warehouse _district," Mentor Ji's worried tone filling her ear. "_The other Rangers on their way there, now._"

"That's not too far from here," Mia muttered, looking around. "Thanks Mentor. I'm heading over there now." She glanced back at the abandoned park bench and took off running, gripping her Samuraizer tightly in her hand. "Go go Samurai!"

As her Ranger suit instantly morphed around her, she pulled her Spin Sword out of its sheath, running in the direction of the Nighlok attack. Her heart pounded in her chest. It was the first big fight she was running towards, and she had no idea just how bad the fight was going to be. She soon made it to the location, following the sounds of clashing swords and explosions as well as her friends' cries of pain.

As she rounded the corner, she froze, letting out the first word that came to her mind in a whisper. "Shit." It was Serrator. But, that was it, one look at him and she was back in fight mode.

"Now that you Rangers are out of the way, I can finally put my plan into action," Serrator said in his skin crawling, gravelly voice as he advanced upon the fallen Rangers. "It's a nightmare come true."

"Dream on, Serrator," Mia called out to him, confidently making her way into the building. "Samurai Ranger; ready!" She tightened her grip on her Spin Sword. "Whatever your plan is; I'll stop it."

"You? Stop me?" Serrator asked before he threw his head back in a loud laugh. As his laughter subsided, he fixed Mia with a harsh glare. "Don't make me laugh." Mia blinked in surprise when Serrator suddenly rushed towards her, as if he hand wings on his feet.

But, she acted instinctively, swinging her Spin Sword up in an arc, blocking his attack. The hard hit, caused her to stumble back a few steps, but she kept her ground. Her Spin Sword made a high pitched scratching sound as it slid down the jagged edge of Serrator's blade. She lifted her foot and kicked him in the stomach, forcing him back.

"I admire your spirit, Pink Ranger," Serrator taunted, letting out a low chuckle. "But, I _hate _spirit." He struck Mia across the chest with a harsh blow, knocking her off her feet.

"Mia!" Emily cried in despair.

Mia's chest burned as she coughed, her back throbbing with pain from where she collided with a metal support system. Serrator walked over to her, stomping his foot down on her chest. Mia let out a grunt of pain, trying to breathe as he kept pushing harder and hard on her. Her vision was starting to darken. Suddenly, she was filled with an odd, calming sensation and the pressure on her chest vanished, but things were still dark.

_Oh my god, _she thought as pressure suddenly built up around her. It felt like her helmet was tightening in on her head. _I'm dying. This is what dying feels like_.

"Stop struggling." Mia turned her head and saw Melody and Jaeger by her side, tightly gripping her arm. They seemed to be glowing, but everything around them was pitch black as if they were falling. But her feet were on solid ground. "Are you ok?"

"What happened?" Mia asked. She groaned, her hands going to her helmet as the pressure intensified around her. "What's going on?" She let out a shaky breath and then asked. "Where are we?"

"In the darkness," Jaeger replied, "we got you out of there as soon as we could."

"Are you _ok_?" Melody repeated, "besides the head thing. You'll get used to it the longer you're down here. What that is…is every single bad thought or feeling stored inside of you trying to get out. Trying to influence you." A serious look, more serious than Mia had ever seen her, crossed her face. "Whatever you do, you _can't _let it out. Who knows if that Nighlok, Terrorem is lurking around here."

"Come on," Jaeger said, gently pushing Mia's back. Melody, keeping her tight grip on Mia's arm started running, and little white screens started to pop up. "This is how we move through the darkness, all these squares are gaps where shadows appear; on the wall, on the ground, even Serrator's shadow. They're like doors to different dimensions."

"Serrator cast a shadow over you when you were fighting," Melody added, we found which one and got you in here as fast as we could. We're looking for a different place to let you out, one where Serrator won't expect. A surprise attack."

"I don't understand," Mia said with a shake of her head.

"Didn't expect you to, to be honest," Melody replied, glancing over at her friend. It was then that Mia noticed the blood dripping down the side of her face. "It's just a scratch, don't worry."

"But, our friends—"

"Time slows in the darkness," Jaeger explained to Mia. "It's useful but also very crappy. It makes people go insane that much faster. It eats at you until you're vulnerable to whatever it wants to do with you."

"Come out, come out wherever you are." Serrator's low whisper surrounded them shortly followed by his laughter. "Do you _really _think you can hide from me, Samurai Rangers?" A large blue and white glowing ball of energy suddenly shot off in the distance, speeding through the darkness, momentarily lighting up the area before it exploded with a loud _bang. _Hot air rushed past them.

"Impossible," Jaeger whispered. "He's not supposed to be able to get into the darkness. There's just no way." He didn't get a response. "Mel, Mia?" Jaeger asked noticing that both tensed up, but before he could say anything else Serrator began to speak.

"I'm the Nighlok King, you fools," Serrator's voice echoed around them. But, they couldn't see where he was. The three of them slowly backed up, looking around and around, trying to find any indication of where he was. "I'm the strongest Nighlok there is! Did you _really _think you could run away from me?" He shot off a second blast. It came from a direction that was closer to them, but it still missed by a long shot.

Mia was shaking; she felt a chill run down her spine. "Does he know-?"

"No," Melody replied, shaking her head back and forth. She added quietly under her breath, sounding amazed. "He can't." She pressed her lips together for a moment. "But, how did he get down here?"

"Only elementals that control the—" Jaeger stopped talking, his eyes suddenly wide. "It can't be." He turned to face the two girls, a grave expression on his face. "We have to get out. Now!"

"Here," Melody said, stepping over and through a white barrier, taking Mia with her.

Mia looked around and saw that they were standing on a catswalk, high above the ground. The other Rangers were still struggling to get to their feet. Serrator, having no use for them, was slowly walking around the abandoned building, eyes shifting back and forth as he looked for them. Then another voice reached her ears, one she wouldn't forget.

"Come out now and we'll spare your brother."

Mia quietly hurried along the metal support system below her feet and gasped when she saw Dayu walking into the area, one arm around Terry's neck, the other tightly gripping his hair. Mia could hear her friends' gasps of shock and worry at seeing Dayu and Terry together.

"Dayu, how lovely to see you again," Serrator said, slowly turning away from searching for the missing Rangers to face the female Nighlok. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"This human can be of some help to me," Dayu replied, shaking Terry, who let out a groan of pain. She then added in a low tone. "I'd like you to be here when I destroy the Power Rangers."

"Ah, but what joy will that give you?" Serrator asked either missing the malice in Dayu's voice or ignoring it completely. "For you see, I've already weakened them. You're welcome."

"I don't need any help from you!" Dayu snapped and Serrator let out a low chuckle.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Dayu, but you wouldn't be where you are now had you not sought my help all those years ago," Serrator said in a quiet voice and Dayu gasped. "Let's not forget why we're all here, Dayu. We're here to destroy the Power Rangers. Why not work together? I mean…they destroyed something of value to you as well."

"The harmonium?" Mia asked in a whisper.

"I don't think so," Jaeger replied, slowly shaking his head back and forth. "This escalated quickly. We need to think of a plan."

"No one messes with my brother," Mia whispered. She gripped her Spin Sword tightly in her hands before throwing herself off the catswalk.

She could hear Melody and Jaeger's cries of shock, but she had already reached the ground before they had moved to stop her. As soon as her feet connected with the floor, she rolled on her shoulder once before charging towards Serrator and Dayu, seeing red.

"Big mistake, Pink Ranger," Dayu hissed, jumping out of the way, keeping a tight hold on Terry, who let out a scream of fear as he was swung around. Serrator merely sidestepped Mia's advance before kicking her in the back, sending her flying forward onto the ground. She rolled onto her back, and executed a perfect kip up, facing two Nighlok once more.

"The only mistake made here was going after my family," Mia growled. Her breath left her lungs as something slammed into her stomach, knocking her off her feet for a second time.

"Mia!" she heard Kevin shout before the Rangers were strong enough to get to their feet, fighting against the two Nighlok. There wasn't much they could do against Dayu as if they did, they'd be risking harm to Terry, who's eyes seemed permanently wide in fear.

_Get up, Mia_, Mia thought pushing the tip of her Spin Sword into the ground, pushing all of her weight onto it, trying to get back up. _Terry needs you_. Her heart skipped a beat when there was a loud caterwaul and Jaeger jumped off the rafter, turning into a lion, knocking Dayu to the ground.

"Terry!" she shouted, scrambling to her feet. Her muscles ached as she ran towards the fallen Nighlok. Jayden, Kevin, and Mike were facing off against Serrator as Antonio and Emily closed in on Dayu.

"Stop!" Melody shouted before jumping to the ground. "Don't get closer. That's not Terry." Mia skidded to a stop, watching as Melody's hands glowed a bright purple, brighter than Melody had ever seen. She did a double take. It looked like her hands were on fire! "Shadow Flame!"

Mia watched as Melody's hands were engulfed in twisting purple and black flames. As she ran towards Dayu, she threw balls of fire towards the Nighlok. Mia rushed forward, watching as the balls of flame seemed to explode at Dayu and Terry's feet, changing to whisps of shadows, clawing and reaching for them. Mia closed her eyes as Terry let out a scream.

But, Mel said it wasn't Terry. Mia watched, feeling her jaw drop as much as her helmet allowed her to as the shadows pulled at Dayu and Terry, twisting and turning, wrapping tightly around the Nighlok and the human. Mia's breath came out shaky. It seemed like everyone was watching what was going on. As the shadows wrapped around Dayu and Terry's necks, they suddenly burst into flames, eliciting loud screams of pain from the two of them.

Jaeger turned back to his human form, his hands glowing as well. "Night Shade," the two of them shouted in unison. A black/purple mist suddenly enveloped their bodies. Dayu dropped to his knees, groaning and screaming, twisting her head back and forth as if she was trying to knock th darkness out of her head.

Mia's heart clenched as a loud scream of pain erupted from Terry's mouth. _It's not real. It's not him. It's not happening to him. _She clenched her teeth squeezing her eyes shut, willing the sound to stop ringing in her ears. She wanted to rush over to Melody to shake her and scream at her to stop. But, the look on her face kept her rooted to the spot. She wasn't the Purple Ranger she was used to seeing. She looked crazier; scarier. She had a blank stare on her face, but at the same time, seemed to know what she was doing.

A shiver went down Mia's spine when she heard the loud screams split the air for a second time. Unlike Melody, Jaeger looked so mad, like he really wanted to hurt them, like he was torturing them. His upper lip curled, revealing a row of sharp canines, and his eyes were narrowed into a harsh glare, his eyes looking almost black instead of its normal green color.

Mia wanted to stop the two of them, but she was too terrified of the scene to move. Mia had only seen how Melody looked once; back when Decker first arrived, when Jayden faced off against him and the Nighlok, Robtish. Jaeger on the other hand, she had never seen him look that way, but Mike and Emily had, back when Switchbeast attacked.

"Show us your true form," Melody said in an eerily calm voice, staring hard at Terry.

Terry stared back at her, his eyes rolling oddly in his head, and then he started to change. Terry started to grow taller. His eyes changed to a blazing red as his head changed to a snake-like one. Next, his arms changed turning all black, then a strong, muscled chest, and then, strong, legs that resembled a dog's legs. It swung its arms, wisps of shadows flying around.

"Terrorem," Emily gasped seconds before Terrorem let out a loud, eagle like cry.

Shockwaves rumbled beneath the Rangers' feet. Mia felt something collide into her side, seconds before they were thrown in different directions by a wave of dark energy. Dayu was knocked back a few steps, rolling her neck as the squeezing shadows dissipated.

"Ah, so the Purple Ranger is even stronger than I imagine," Serrator said, merely looking around at all of he fallen Rangers. "Even better reason to leave her for last. Things are turning out perfectly."

Mia's head swam as she blinked slowly. A patch of blue was in her line of vision and it took her a moment to realize that Kevin was lying on top of her. He stirred, groaning in pain before he slowly pushed himself up into a push up position, getting off of her.

"You…ok?" he asked, breathing heavily.

Mia slowly nodded, looking up at him. "Thanks to you," she replied. Kevin sat back on his heels and reached for her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Terry…it's not Terry."

"I'm sure he's ok," Kevin said in a low, soothing voice. "Antonio said that Dayu was at the theater they were rehearsing at."

"What?" Mia asked, her eyes widening behind her helmet. She struggled to get to her feet, but Kevin steadied her.

"He's fine, Jaeger got to them in enough time," Kevin replied before he got to his feet, carefully pulling her with him. "Are you ok?"

"Ask me that again once I'm done killing Dayu," Mia replied, looking around for her Spin Sword. She found it wedged between two chunks of concrete and pulled at it, listening to a small ringing sound as the blade scraped against the rocks. She stalked over to Serrator and Dayu.

"Mia!" Jayden shouted. Mia merely turned her head and saw the Black Box in his hands. "You're going to need this!" He threw the Black Box towards her.

"Thanks!" Mia said with a nod, holding up her Spin Sword. She watched as the Black Box attached to the base of her sword. "That'll help." She let out a sigh of relief as she gained the new power. Energy instantly coursed through her body and she forgot what pain she was in as the white floor length extension of the suit wrapped around her. "Super Samurai Mode."

"What's this?!" Serrator asked, whirling around to face the Pink Ranger as he heard he cry.

"Turtle disc." She placed her light pink disc into the Black Box, snapping the top shut. "Super Spin Sword!" She spun the black disc on her Spin Sword, a bright pink light glowing brighter and brighter, engulfing the area in the bright light. Mia pushed hard off the ground, holding her sword high above her head. "Super Air Wave! Super Samurai Slash!"

Mia slashed and sliced at Serrator, letting out all of her anger, worry, and frustration. It felt like she was moving at lightning speed. She was landing each attack and Serrator couldn't keep up or even make an attempt to defend himself. With a grunt of effort and a final strike, Serrator was knocked back from Mia, crashing into a wall. Mia grinned in behind her helmet as Serrator dropped to the ground.

"That hurt!" he cried out.

"That's exactly what I was going for," Mia called over to him before facing Day and Terrorem. "Now it's your turn." She took a step forward, but Dayu turned and fled as Terrorem slid into a gap. "_Cowards_!"

"It's ok, Mia, they're gone," Kevin said, coming up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. He gave it a gentle squeeze. "You did great."

"Good job!" Emily added, throwing her arm around Mia's waist, giving her a tight hug. Mia stumbled to the side when Antonio hit her on the arm with the LightZord.

"Golden work, chica," he said, giving her a nod.

"You think you've won?" Serrator growled, getting to his feet. "Just you wait! Papyrox." There was a loud crashing sound and the Rangers turned to see dust, dirt, and debris falling down outside. "Ta ta, Rangers. I'll be back for you." As Serrator slid into a gap, the Rangers rushed outside to see Serrator's monster and six giant Moogers standing outside.

"Whoa, cheerleading Moogers?" Mike cracked, seeing two of the Moogers standing on the shoulders of two others. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall, eh, guys?"

"Mia," Jayden said, turning to the Pink Ranger. "Use the Samurai combination disc. I know you can do it. I'll pilot the Bullzord."

"Clawzord and I will bring up the rear," Antonio said as he punched into his Samurai Morpher with his thumb, calling for his zord.

"Right," Mia replied, swapping out the Turtle Disc from the Black Box. She lifted her sword into the air. "Samurai Combination."

* * *

A day passed at the Shiba House, thankfully uneventfully as the Rangers did their best to heal up from their fight with Serrator as best as they could to get ready for the concert on Friday. Mentor agreed to let them go see the concert, explaining that after a long battle they deserved the time to have fun. But, Antonio wasn't saved from his lecture on agreeing to help Terry without consulting him first, in the chance that by having all the Rangers in one spot, they'd attract the Nighlok to attack everybody at the concert.

But, Mia wasn't up to going to the concert. She wasn't sure how she was going to face her brother, and after seeing the fake Terry being captured, she was worried about even being around him as she would be bringing more danger to him. Nothing scared her more than thinking that Terry was captured, but at the same time, it only validated her original thought; he should be focusing on medical school.

Mia slowly made her way into the kitchen of the Shiba House, making a beeline for the refrigerator. She first grabbed the door handle, pulling it open to get the container of milk before hip checking it shut. She then grabbed the door handle to the freezer and pulled out the container of ice.

"Mia, aren't you going to get ready for the concert?" Emily asked her. "We're leaving soon." Mia looked over at the Yellow Ranger and gave her best friend a warm smile.

"Em, you look _amazing_," she gushed as she set the ice and milk down on the counter. "But, no, I'm not going to go. I'm just going to head in early. I'm still feeling exhausted from that battle."

"Mia," Kevin said quietly, "is there a problem between you and your brother?" He looked around at the other Rangers before locking eyes with her. "He seemed pretty upset when he left the other day. You did too."

"He's supposed to be volunteering at the hospital, not playing some gig," Mia replied, an edge to her tone as she headed to the cabinet to get herself a glass. She closed the cabinet door a little harder than she meant to. "It's…safer."

"Ohhh," Emily said, slowly nodding. "Mia, Terry's ok. Antonio's been with him and _nothing _has happened."

"I just don't want to go, ok?" Mia asked. "There's more important things than music, you know."

"That really depends on who you're asking, Mia," Melody commented as she walked into the kitchen, pulling the last few hair rollers out of her, now, wavy hair. She set them on the counter, putting a hand on her hip. "If you ask me, music is plenty important. It helps me think through problems."

"I don't have any problems to think through, ok?" Mia asked. Melody put her hands up defensively.

"Well, if you want to join us, you know where we'll be," Emily said, adjusting her ponytail before grabbing her purse. "After that long battle, we want to let off some steam." She then spun in a circle, striking a pose as her dress billowed around her knees. "So? How do I look?"

"Like Little Miss Sunshine," Melody replied, looking Emily up and down.

"That's what I was going for," Emily said with a wide grin. "I wont that pageant back home three times in a row, don't you know."

"I don't doubt it," Melody replied and Mia elbowed her in the side. Hard. "I'm just saying."

"Last chance, Mia," Jayden said to the Pink Ranger as he pushed his stool back from the island, getting to his feet. He slid his hands into his jeans pockets. "You deserve to have some fun tonight." He tilted his head over to Mike and Kevin who were teaching each other some dance moves. "Those two will keep you entertained for a while."

"Let's pretend we don't know him," Melody whispered into Emily's ear, causing her to laugh quietly.

"Thanks, but I'm just going to stay here," Mia replied. "I'm really not in the mood and I don't want to bring you guys down. Have fun."

"Um…you guys go one without me, I'll catch up," Melody said to Jayden, tilting her head slightly in Mia's direction. "I want to talk to Mia for a minute."

"Sure," Jayden replied, before moving to grab the car keys off the hook by the refrigerator. "See you there." Kevin was the last to leave the kitchen, looking back at Mia one last time, pressing his lips together before following Emily, Jayden, and Mike out.

"I don't want to talk, Mel," Mia said with a heavy sigh.

"Then just listen," Melody replied, moving to sit in front of her. "It's ok to be scared for your brother. Believe me, I know how you're feeling. I've felt that way for a good four years now."

"If this is going to be another one of your Power Ranger stories—"

"No, it's about my dad's cancer," Melody replied and Mia stopped talking. "Luckily, the doctors were able to catch it pretty quickly, but my brothers are freaking out. Me too, but not as much. I mean, they've always been around my dad so the idea of him dying freaks them out. But, they try and keep their minds off things, keep things lighthearted with other stuff; like lacrosse, and baking, and music."

Mia twisted her mouth to the side before drumming her fingernails on the table. "Terry needs to be focusing on his schooling. Gigs are just going to get in the way."

"Have you ever stopped to think that he's playing music so he doesn't drive himself crazy with med-school 24/7?" Melody asked, getting straight to the point. "Like I said, music is a great stress reliever; it's another way for you to get your thoughts out when it just seems so hard. I know you want to protect him, but just one night isn't going to hurt. Let him feel what this is like before he commits himself to his schooling. Not only that, but he could combine the two professions."

"How do you mean?" Mia asked.

"Well, a lot of people have sworn that when they played music for someone in a coma, it helped them wake up," Melody replied. "Terry could study Music Therapy; make everyone happy. But, more importantly, make himself happy. Music is obviously his outlet for when things get really hard for him and…it's a way for him to be comforted when you can't be there."

"We _were _going to be the World's Greatest Rock Band," Mia said quietly, resting her arms on the table. "Terry…he stopped playing with the band after I left." She pulled the flyer out of her pocket and unfolded it, looking at it for a moment before setting it down. "Rebel Rockers; that was my idea. Believe it or not, I didn't always want to be a Samurai Ranger. I wanted to stay home and to have fun and to make sure my brother stayed out of trouble."

"Mia, have you _looked_ at that flyer?" Melody asked her, raising her eyebrows. "I mean…_really_ looked at it?"

Mia briefly shook her head before taking the flyer and looking it over. Her breath caught in her throat when she read the last line. "This concert…it's for charity," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "For the hospital."

"See? He's doing both," Melody replied with a small smile. "You in?"

"Definitely," Mia replied. "I just have to change first."

"Way ahead of you," Melody replied, lifting her cell phone to her ear. Mia looked at her in confusion as someone on the other end picked up. "Hey, Sky, go into my closet and get one of my gig outfits, and plug in the curling iron, Mia and I will be there shortly." Melody rolled her eyes and made a face. "10 bucks…fine, fine, 20, just do it, please?" She huffed as she hung up her phone. "See? Little brothers can be a pain in the ass."

Mia laughed as she followed Melody out of the house. "The others took the car, how are we going to get there?" she asked.

"Jaeger," Melody replied, hurrying into the living room. She pushed papers, books, and notebooks aside before finding what she was looking for, handing it to Mia. She then lead the way out the back door.

"What's this?" Mia asked, looking at the paper. "Everyday Fun?"

"Song lyrics," Melody replied as she slid the backdoor shut behind them. "Antonio and Terry have been working on that song and are going to open their set with it. Learn the lyrics as fast as you can." Mia jumped as she let out a shrill whistle. Jaeger appeared in the backyard in his lion form, his tail twitching. Melody grabbed his mane and swung herself up onto his back. "We'll take him over to my place, get changed real quick, get my dad's car, head on down to the flower shop, and then over to the auditorium."

"We won't make it in time, not if I have to do my hair and makeup and everything," Mia said as Melody offered the Pink Ranger her hand, helping to pull her up behind her.

"One of the good things of being best friends with Kimberly Hart, is you master the art of quick changing," Melody replied with a small laugh before nudging Jaeger in the sides, wings unfolding from his back as he reared back onto his hind legs. "Hang on."

Mia wrapped her arms around Melody's waist seconds before Jaeger launched himself into the sky.

..

.

The Auditorium backstage was a complete and utter mess. Chords and amps filled the hallways and people with clipboards and headsets were shouting at each other. Clothes and clothing racks were thrown everywhere, making it hard for the two girls to navigate. They could hear music shaking the walls and the cheers of the audience filled them with excitement.

"They sound great," Mia said as she shrugged off her borrowed leather jacket before handing it to Melody, after the Purple Ranger set the bouquet of flowers that were in her arms down onto a nearby table. "They don't need me."

"Terry does," Melody replied and Mia gave a soft smile, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I can't believe you'd wear hoop earrings this big," Mia said as she adjusted her glittery gold tank top. "Or this outfit."

"Decades party; I went as the 70s with my friend, Rocky," Melody replied with a shrug. "Ok, the chorus is about to come up, do you remember the words?"

"Mhm," Mia replied, looking a little sick.

"You'll be great, don't worry!" Melody said, shaking her shoulders. "I heard you practicing on the way over and it sounds good!" She then turned to a stage hand that was repeatedly looking at his watch. "Hey, buddy! Got an extra mic? My friend is supposed to be on stage, but we're running late."

"You're _this _late to your _own _concert?" the guy asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You want to make something of it?" Melody asked, arching an eyebrow. The guy raised his hands defensively before walking over to the table Melody had just put the flowers on. He pushed some coats and clothes aside to reveal a row of microphones. He grabbed one and flipped the switch at the bottom, a green light popping up on the side.

"Here you go, ladies," he said, handing the microphone to Mia, who took it with shaky hands.

"Stop worrying, Terry will be glad to see you," Melody said, putting her hand over the microphone head so her voice wouldn't be picked up.

"I've been meaning to tell you, but I forgot because of all the excitement, but I ran into your friends Bulk and Spike the other day," Mia said and Melody blinked in surprise. "Actually, Spike was the one who invited me tonight. He really misses you."

A sad look briefly crossed Melody's face before she nodded. "I know," she replied, before nodding towards the stage. "Knock 'em dead."

Mia faced the stage and started to walk out, sucking in a deep breath before she started to sing, "Everyday all we want to have is fun, fun, fun. Fun anyway, so just come and join us one by one."

..

.

"Mia, thank you _so _much for coming," Antonio said to the Pink Ranger, giving her a hug, rocking her back and forth before moving to start putting his guitar away. "We didn't see you guys for a while, we were getting a little worried."

"Why would I miss a golden opportunity like this?" Mia asked and Antonio laughed a little bit. She crossed her arms over her chest before jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "Mel's getting the guys, they should be here soon."

"Sick," Antonio said with a grin. "Mia, I knew you could sing, but I didn't know you were _that_ good. You really helped us out."

"No, Antonio," Mia said with a shake of her head. "You helped out my brother without even thinking about it. And all I did was harp on him about going to medical school. I want to thank you!"

"It's no biggie," Antonio replied with a shrug.

"_Antonio_!"

Antonio and Mia turned and smiled at their friends hurried past the thick black curtain towards him to give him a hug. Emily was the first one to reach him, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"Look at you, Mr. Rock Star!" she gushed, bouncing on her toes as soon as she took a step back from him. "Antonio, that was great."

"Yeah, thanks for inviting us," Jayden added as Mike and Kevin slapped him on the shoulder.

"It was the most _awesome_ moment of my life, but..." he let out a sigh, and said with a smile, "it doesn't beat fishing."

"Oh, please!" Mike said with a roll of his eyes. "Dude, you totally commanded that stage."

"I have to say, I'm impressed," Melody said, her hands behind her back. "I didn't know what to expect out of those golden pipes." She then handed him the flowers. "These are for you."

"I'm touched," Antonio said, wiping away a fake tear. "You guys are great. Mel, Terry said that he asked your brothers to open for us, but they turned him down."

"Like they'd actually be able to get through a song without me," Melody replied with a smirk, causing everyone to laugh. "Besides, even if I could, we wouldn't have had time to rehearse. No worries."

"Mel, where are the other flowers?" Mia asked as her laughter died down. Melody nodded towards the table near the door where they came in, and Mia grabbed it, hurrying to the stage to meet her brother, her shoes clacking on the floor. Terry had just finished taking a few pictures with some audience members before packing up his guitar. "You know, you could've told me that this concert was for charity."

"You could've asked," Terry replied, turning around to give Mia a smile. He nodded at the flowers. "Are those for me or did Kevin give them to you?" Mia blinked in surprise before handing them over.

"They're for you," she replied. "Why would Kevin give me flowers?" Terry gave her an amused look, but instead of answering, he stepped forward to give her a hug. "I'm sorry. So…are you ok?"

"Right now, yeah," Terry replied with a nod. "What about you?"

"Very, very tired," Mia said with a sigh. "It's a real adrenaline rush, huh? It was great performing together again."

Yeah, but, given what had happened with…that monster at rehearsals, I get why you can't have contact with family members," Terry said with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry Mia. I didn't mean to make you feel so bad about not wanting to help me. And when you didn't show up at the park—"

"There was an attack, I had to go," Mia replied, giving him an apologetic look. "I would've told you, but…things were kind of crazy."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I just…I shouldn't have even come here in the first place. All I did was bother you."

"No, it's great to see you, _really,_" Mia said with a shake of her head. "I wouldn't trade saving the world for anything, but I'll admit that I was a teensy bit jealous when I found out that you were playing for the World's Greatest Rock Band."

"You know…what I really want to do…is be a doctor," Terry said as he turned back to his guitar case, closing the lid and snapping the locks shut. He grinned as he face his sister. "A doctor that seriously _rocks_."

Mia laughed, looping her arm around Terry's shoulders. "That's my baby brother." She mussed his hair as she led him backstage, and finding their friends already gone, headed out to the lobby, instantly spotting them standing apart from a large group of audience members who were talking loudly and excitedly. It didn't look like they wanted to go home. "Guys, why don't we all go out for ice cream? My treat."

"Well, since you put it that way, I'm in," Mike said with a grin, rubbing his stomach.

"I'm in as well, but I have to drop my dad's car back at home at the end of the night if you don't mind following me there," Melody said. She then gave Kevin a sweet smile. "Do you think you can break your strict diet for one night, Kev?"

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Ice cream _does_ sound good," he commented.

"Then it's settled," Emily said with a bright smile. "I saw a Cold Stone Creamery

"Jayden, what about you?" Mia asked, turning towards the Red Ranger. But, Jayden wasn't paying attention. Antonio waved a hand in his face, whistling.

"Sorry?" Jayden asked, blinking. "Ice cream, right. Um, I'll meet you guys there, I just saw someone I know in the crowd." He nodded his head towards the dwindling group of concert goers in the lobby. He started walking towards them before anyone could say anything. "Just go, I'll be there soon."

Mia frowned as he watched the Red Ranger leave.

* * *

Jayden sucked in a deep breath of air, holding it as he slowly pushed the back door to the Shiba House open. Stepping inside he slowly turned and slid it shut, only then letting out the deep breath of air that he was holding. He was in so much pain, and his knuckles were throbbing. They felt wet; he was sure they were scraped and bleeding.

He jumped when he heard screaming, but quickly calmed down when he recognized the sound of the TV. _Either Mike's still up or he fell asleep with the TV on again_, he thought warily, making his way through the kitchen and into his room as quietly as possible, trying not to move any of his limbs more than he needed to.

He clenched his teeth tightly as he twisted his wrist, turning the door knob. He blinked when the lamp light hit him in the face, and he slowly pushed the door shut behind him before practically collapsing onto his bed.

"Jayden?"

He let out a small curse when Melody rolled around to face him. She sat up and reached for her glasses on the dresser, unfolding them and putting them on her face. As he sat up to face her, she gasped, her eyes wide as he looked over him, her eyes briefly staying on his split lip. She was by his side in a moment.

"What the hell happened to you?" she asked, grabbing his chin, turning his head this way and that. Jayden winced at each sudden movement.

"Something stupid," Jayden managed to choke out, frowning as a line of spit slipped out past his lips. He gently wiped it away with his shirt sleeve. "Don't worry though; it looks worse than it actually is."

"The worst thing you can do right now is tell me not to worry," Melody commented under her breath as she slipped out of the room. As Jayden slowly kicked off his shoes and socks, she was back with a first aid kit. He eyed the package in her hand warily and saw that she was holding an antiseptic wipe. "This might hurt."

"_Shit_!" Jayden flinched, pushing her hand away as his lip started to burn. It throbbed with pain and his eyes watered. He clenched his teeth hard, breathing in and out of his nose.

"So what'd you do? Run into a door?" Melody asked, sitting back on her heels.

"More like someone's fist," Jayden slowly replied.

Melody peered at him in confusion for a moment before it dawned on her. "Jake." Jayden slowly nodded. "You beat up Jake? But…he clobbered you." Jayden gave her an annoyed look. "Just saying."

"Unfortunately for me, I decided to take it easy on him," Jayden muttered, twisting his head to the side as Melody tried to dab at his lip again. He took the wipe from her and did it himself, gently wiping at the cut.

" So, that's why you didn't get ice cream with us," Melody said, shaking her head back and forth, looking at him as if she didn't know who he was. And in a way, she didn't. No one would ever think level-headed Jayden would willingly go around beating people up. "Why the heck did you do that?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Jayden said in a low voice, stopping what he was doing, fixing her with an odd look, "but weren't _you_ the one that said it wouldn't be a bad thing knowing that I was protecting you?" His eyebrow twitched. "We…our team…we need to focus on what matters here; and that's finishing our mission. We can't have little distractions like Jake. And let's be honest here, if you spotted him first, he'd probably be sitting in a hospital bed."

"Is the team all you care about? I didn't ask for your help," Melody huffed, "I can handle—"

"You never ask for help, but that doesn't mean I won't give it to you," Jayden replied. He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "Sorry." Melody suddenly looked tired as she sighed.

"Don't worry about it," she replied. Her eyes widened and she gasped when he lifted a hand to scratch at his nose. "Oh my god, your hand!" Jayden looked down at the red, raw, patches on his knuckles before Melody grabbed his hand, reaching for another pack of antiseptic wipes, gauze, and tape.

Jayden watched her as she started to clean his cuts. He tensed, moving to pull his hand out of her grasp, but she kept a firm grip on it, and he noticed that the harder he pulled away from the stinging wipe, the tighter she held on. Silence fell over the two of them.

"…Thanks," Melody muttered, almost begrudgingly, "for dealing with Jake and for…protecting me I guess."

"Mhm," Jayden replied, nodding his head. "Don't mention it."

"Believe me, I won't," Melody instantly shot back.

Jayden let out a heavy sigh, running his free hand over his face. Melody briefly looked up at him, giving him a questioning look. "I'm trying to figure out if that was stupidly insane or insanely stupid."

"A little bit of both, I'd say," Melody replied, as she balanced some gauze on the back of his hands before carefully wrapping the tape around it.

"Maybe just a little," Jayden agreed with a hint of a smile.

* * *

**A/N: **So, if I can stick to it, this fic will be updated every Tuesday and _Soul of a Samurai _will be updated every Thursday with a fall back day on Friday if, for whatever reason I can't update on Tuesday or Thursday. I would've updated on Thursday or Friday, but all this school stuff suddenly piled up on me. But, with this schedule It'll be a little easier as all my hard stuff happened this past weekend.

I'll be re-uploading _Divided We Fall_ sometime next week.

I have a new idea for a PR fic (it'll be based around Jason or Rocky, not sure who yet) which entails having them running from the law while trying to keep their Power Ranger identities a secret. Melody will be in it as well. It'd be posted around _One of the Guys IV _aka _Power Rangers Zeo_ but it doesn't have anything really to do with the series.

**I have a new poll up in my profile pertaining to the new fic. I'd love to hear through that, or PM, or in your review, about who the fic I described above should be centered around: Jason or Rocky?**

Hope you guys liked this one.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	33. Chapter 33: Reality Check

**.:Chapter Thirty-Three - Reality Check:.**

* * *

_Jayden slowly walked into the cave, looking around cautiously before stepping into the dark area. As soon as she put her foot into the cave, a wave of energy rushed past her. The hair on his arms stood on end and an odd tingling sensation hit the pit of his stomach._

_He blinked when a strong beam of light broke through the darkness. As he walked towards the light, it dimmed more and more until he reached a circular clearing, and he saw a woman sitting peacefully on a bed of leaves. Jayden looked around to see where the light was coming from and with a start, realized that it was coming from her. The cave was dark and damp, but smelled of different flowers._

_The woman gave Jayden a smile, motioning for him to take a seat. Jayden blinked in surprise when she waved her arm and leaves appeared from nowhere, making a place for him to sit in front of her. Jayden gave a quick head nod in thanks before sitting down. The woman, despite sitting, didn't seem to be much taller than Jayden, but she had a few wrinkles on her face, at the corners of her eyes and mouth. Her light green dress brought out her grey eyes._

_"Hello, Jayden," the woman spoke, "It's nice to finally meet you."_

_"Hi," Jayden slowly replied. "I'm sorry, but who are you? And how do you know my name?"_

_"It's my job to know your name," the woman replied with a warm smile. "I know everyone's names. As for who I am; I'm Mother Nature."_

_Jayden's jaw dropped in surprise. He quickly put two and two together with the leaves and the light, and the smell of the flowers and thought that it made sense. "I'm sure you can expect that I brought you here for a reason. You are what I expected and much more. You truly are your father's son."_

_Now she had Jayden's undivided attention. His heart started to beat a little faster at the mention of his father. Mother Nature peered quietly at him, but he stared back at her. "You are more powerful than you believe to be. All of you are."_

_"But I don't understand—"_

_"You aren't to understand at this moment, just know that more power will soon be in your grasp," Mother Nature replied, briefly shaking her head. "It won't be in a way that you're used to, but accept it as the help you need. I can only help you Rangers protect this Earth for so long."_

_"You've been helping us?" Jayden asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. He got a good look at her. He had never seen her before, but he felt like he knew who she was. "I don't understand."_

_"The Sanzu River water is more powerful than you truly know, Red Ranger," Mother Nature replied, brushing off some dirt at her knee. "It's constantly trying to make its way onto Earth, defacing the formation and the structure of the rock. It's not the same as when your father and the other Rangers were around. You need to be extra careful."_

_"I will do anything I can to lead my team into the defeat of Master Xandred," Jayden replied and Mother Nature slowly nodded._

_"After all this time, are they not your friends?" she asked. It didn't seem like she was belittling him for it, but she sounded curious about it._

_Jayden did think of the other Rangers as his friends, but at the same time, he didn't want to admit it to them. Not because he was ashamed about being friends with them, but because he knew that it was that much harder for him to know that they were willingly following his lead into battle with the risk of never returning._

_"It's your friends who make you fight as hard as you can," Mother Nature said, "not who allow you to hold yourself back. You can't do this alone as I'm sure you know." Jayden nodded. "So why do you keep yourself in that mindset? Why do you try and be alone? Is it really that bad to have others care for you and to care for others yourself?"_

_Jayden stayed silent. He didn't know how to answer those questions, but he knew that she was making very good points. He could see which Rangers were getting closer to others; Kevin and Mia, Mike, and Emily, and Antonio and Melody, although Melody was the one to be friends with everybody. He wasn't stupid, he could see their feelings slowly changing, whether or not the Rangers themselves realized it. And over the past few weeks he noticed how much the other Rangers wanted there to be something normal in their lives. And it was because of what has been going on lately that he wondered if he should get rid of some of the rules of the house._

_"I commend you for placing those rules in the Shiba House in the first place and I understand you're worry without them," Mother Nature said, seeming to read Jayden's mind. "But, it's not a bad thing to care about another person. You're human and living In this kind of environment, you're bound to get closer to someone."_

_"Why am I here?" Jayden asked, changing the subject._

_"I brought you here to warn you about what it is that you will face in the near future, with every good thing that arises, be aware that there will be something around that will try and force you two steps back," Mother Nature replied in a grave tone. "Your trust in each other will be tested, but it's important that you stand by each other no matter what happens. The darkness is waiting to influence both you Rangers and Xandred's army."_

_"You mean, Mel?" Jayden asked. "Is something going to happen to Mel?"_

_"With her powers, you can always expect that something will be threatening Melody," Mother Nature replied, making a face for a brief moment. "The only way she'll truly ever be at peace with her powers is if she fulfils her destiny. Here. Once that happens everything will change for her. Mel knows what's going to happen, but she may not be fully accepting of it at first. It'll help her immensely if you and the other Rangers are there for her."_

_Mother Nature adjusted her dress around her as she shifted her sitting position. "As you know, Melody has been having some dreams about Serrator, Deker, and Dayu. They're not just dreams; they're warnings."_

_"But, I defeated Deker," Jayden said, his eyes widening. "I watched him fall off the cliff." He slowly rubbed his wrist briefly looking down at the scar from his fight with the half-Nighlok. "I know I defeated him. I watched him turn to smoke."_

_"He's a Nighlok, Jayden," Mother Nature replied, "a Nighlok who had this curse put on him because of Serrator. What you broke was Serrator's curse. Not in the sense that he's now full human or full Nighlok. But, you've made it that he can now truly be defeated."_

_Jayden's head swam. This must've been one of the things that Mother Nature was referring to when she said there would be something that would try and push them back. But, he wasn't expecting that at all. He just barely defeated Deker, he was sure that Deker would be out for blood now. And with Dayu being back…she must know at this point that he was the one that got rid of her. He had an even bigger target on his back._

_"You will have help of course, but not from myself, from someone that the other Rangers are familiar with; my daughter," Mother Nature replied an Jayden felt even more confused. Mother Nature gave a pleasant smile at the look on his face before she lifted her hands and a gentle breeze blew, stirring the aroma of the flowers around him. And then it clicked._

_"You're an elemental," he muttered, "and your daughter is Lady Aurelian. And she's the Queen of the Elemental World." His heart skipped a beat. "You're…dead?"_

_"And I'm—"_

_"About to wake up. I'm sending you back." She then lifted a hand and cupped his cheek with it. "But, not before I heal you. You have enough things to worry about then questions about what you did to help your friend."_

Jayden slowly opened his eyes, looking around his room. His room. He was back. Sunlight streamed through window, making dancing shapes of light on the walls as a gentle breeze blew through the leaves. Letting out a heavy sigh, he got up from his bed and headed towards the shower. The warm water soothed him but he quickly switched it to cold water to wake him up. He changed into jeans and a t-shirt before heading into the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Jayden jumped; Melody had been getting better at catching him off guard. He didn't answer as he sat down at the kitchen table. "You must be feeling better, you're back to your normal quiet self." She then did a double take as she got a good look at him. "You heal faster than I thought as well."

"Take more than a fist fight to keep me down," Jayden replied, running a hand over his face.

"I've noticed, but I've had a split lip once or twice in my life and I know it doesn't go away after a night of sleep," Melody replied, turning to face him, putting a hand on her hip. "It doesn't look like you were hit at all. I was going to get Jaeger to bring Azure here and see what she could do to help you, because she's part healer, but, whatever." The corners of Jayden's mouth twitched. "I suppose you must be hungry?"

"Starving," Jayden replied, spotting the skillet of eggs on the stove.

"I'll be done in a minute," Melody replied, turning back to the stove. Jayden just nodded in reply and seconds later, Melody turned back to look at him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Jayden replied. Melody's eyebrows narrowed slightly as she stared at him.

A moment later, her eyes were glowing a brilliant shade of purple and Jayden suddenly felt like….something was in his head. It was an odd feeling, one he couldn't explain. He sighed when the feeling disappeared as she turned back towards the stove to finish scrambling the eggs. Moments later, he had a plate of steaming scrambled eggs in front of him.

"Tell me about your dream," Melody said, dropping into the seat across from. Jayden speared a chunk of eggs before sliding it into his mouth. "I didn't mean to pry, not really anyway. But, I could tell something was bothering you." Jayden raised his eyebrows as he chewed. "You hold your tension in your jaw."

"The thing is, I don't think it was a dream," Jayden replied.

"Tell me," Melody prompted. Slowly Jayden told Melody everything he had seen and heard from when he first started dreaming, to meeting Mother Nature, to waking up fully healed. Melody was quiet the whole time, listening carefully. She didn't seem surprised to hear anything that he had to say.

"That's all," Jayden said when he finished. "After that I woke up here."

"So Deker really is back?" Melody asked, slowly putting down her fork, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "And I've been in contact with the queen of the Elemental World."

"You don't seem surprised," Jayden pointed out.

"I am, I'm just trying to process everything," Melody replied, tapping her bottom lip with her fingers. "For a while, I thought I was going crazy; dreaming of Deker and Serrator and them. Apart from how crazy I normally am."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Jayden replied with a small laugh.

"So, we're going to come into more power than we're used to," Melody said, leaning back in her chair. "And it's in a way we're not used to. What does that mean?"

"I'm guessing that it's not from symbol power or power discs," Jayden replied with a shake of his head. "But, I really don't know."

"So what are we going to do?" Melody asked. Jayden suddenly pushed back his chair getting to his feet. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to tell Ji about my dream, and then I'm going to check the archives for any information," Jayden replied.

"Well, in case you were wondering, Antonio's out fishing, Mia went to the store, and Mike and Emily went for a run through the park and Kevin's out somewhere," Melody called after him.

"Good," Jayden said over his shoulder.

"Your father would be very proud of you, you know."

Jayden turned around in the door way, and looked over at her. He didn't know what to say. The only thing he could do was look into her ocean-colored eyes, silently communicating his gratefulness for the profound compliment. He never considered the reality that he fulfilled the same function for this set of Samurai Rangers as his father did for his own team.

The thought suddenly had him feeling rather inadequate. His dad was, well, his dad. Jayden was suddenly thrown into being a leader when he was a teenager, still trying to find out who he was outside of being a Samurai. And at this point, with everything that kept being thrown there way, he was starting to have doubts that he was anywhere near wise enough to make the kinds of decisions required to not only save the world, but keep the Rangers safe, as well. Especially while making sure his secret stayed a secret. And as each Nighlok was defeated, they were one step closer to revealing his secret, and he had no idea how the Rangers would take it.

Melody immediately picked up on the sudden flash of Jayden's self-doubt and the corner of her mouth turning down tipped him off. He wondered what it was that she was thinking as an amused look briefly crossed her face. He could guess that she thought it was ironic that the one Ranger they all looked up to had a problem feeling worthy of the honor of being the leader. While she had been in the Shiba house, he learned that she had a sharp, natural instinct that could catch anyone before they fell into a funk. That was probably why she was always good at giving advice to the rest of the Rangers.

"Just answer me this," Melody commented, pulling her hand to one side of her neck as she shifted in her seat to face him. "If you aren't worthy of leading the team, then, who is?"

If only he could actually answer that question. Instead, he gave her a smile. "In case I don't say it enough...thank you."

"You don't," Melody pointed out with a smirk and an over the top wink, "but I'll take what I can get."

Jayden rolled his eyes. "Once the others get back, send them into the living room."

* * *

Jayden held up a red disc as he looked at each of the Rangers. Antonio, Mike, Emily, Mia, and Melody were sitting in front of him. Kevin was standing off to the side, his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the wall. But, he was listening, and he looked to be intrigued by what the disc stood for.

"From what I could gather from the archives, the Bull Disc has the power to combine all of our zords into the Samurai Gigazord," Jayden said before handing the disc to Mike to pass around. "I think this may be what Mother Nature was referring to in my dream."

"Yeah, but that's some bad mojo, dude," Mike said, spinning the Beetle Disc around his index finger. "I mean, even you could agree that there was a reason why the Bullzord was buried for 300 years." He was silent for a moment. "And how do you know this wasn't just a dream?"

Jayden sighed, starting to pace back and forth. "I understand what you're getting at Mike, believe me, I do," Jayden said to the Green Ranger. "But, this wasn't just a dream. I know it wasn't. It felt too real."

"And I have a dream where a pitbull rips open the side of my stomach, and that feels real, but I know it's not," Mike replied with a brief shake of his head. "I'm not saying that we don't need any more power, I just don't think we should be too quick to judge what that disc can do."

"There's no doubt it's risky," Jayden agreed. He let out a heavy sigh and added, "if not done right, all of our zords could be obliterated. And if we're inside it at the time…we could be too." Mia and Emily gasped in unison. "But, there's no way we'll know for sure unless we test it."

Jayden then clapped Antonio on the shoulder, motioning for Mike to give him the disc. "But, I'm sure Antonio can master it." Antonio widened his eyes as he looked up at Jayden. "You've helped us out so much since you got here. It's only right that I give this to you."

"Whoa," Antonio said with a shake of his head as he flipped the disc up into the air before catching it. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, buddy, but, I think this is up Kevin's alley more than mine. I mean, he is the one to go to for Megazord combinations."

"He was the one that figured out the Battlewing Megazord while recovering from that bad fight against Robtish," Melody said with a one-shoulder shrug. "I have to agree with Antonio on this one and say that you give it to Kevin."

"And Mel never thinks highly of Kevin, so it must be a good idea," Mike pointed out.

"Could we at least ask Kevin if he wants to take on this responsibility?" Mia asked, looking around at the other Rangers.

"Why wouldn't he want to?" Antonio asked.

"Kevin's been kind of out of it lately," Mia replied, "ever since Terry left."

"Where is Kevin?" Emily asked, looking around. She pointed to the corner that they had last seen him. "He was just here. I know I saw him." She looked over at Mia. "Did you hear or see him leave?"

Mia shook her head back and forth, but got off of her seat, instantly making a beeline to his room. She knocked on the partially opened door before peering inside. He wasn't there. She was about to leave when something caught her eye.

His side of the room was messy. Not as bad as Mike's but for someone who took pride in having everything in his life in a specific spot, this was weird for him. There were rumpled clothes and papers all over the floor and some food wrappers, a couple of small bowls, small plates, and books piled on his desk. His bed wasn't made and his closet door was half-open.

Mia walked in and glanced around. The first thing that caught her eye was a group of pictures on the wall above his desk. She moved closer and peered at them, a smile come to her face. There were a lot of pictures of him with his parents. There were some of him posing with a swim trophy with one of his teammates, and one picture of a group sot of his swim team. And then there were some of his Samurai team. In one of them, they were sitting around a camp fire, sticks with marshmallows in their hands, smiling widely. Melody wasn't in the picture as she was the one taking it.

Mia's smile widened a little more as she remembered that day. Jayden had took them all out to the lake in a secluded area to work on team building exercises after one of the many fights that Kevin and Melody had. Mia continued to look at the rest of the pictures. But, there was one that held her attention. It was a picture of her, dressed in her Christmas pajamas with fake reindeer antlers and a bright flashing reindeer nose. Kevin was at the edge of the picture his head in one hand, laughing.

Mia laughed to herself, shaking her head. As she moved away from her desk, the edge of a colorful flier caught her attention. She grabbed the corner of the flier and started to pull it out from between two books.

"Mia?"

Mia jumped, whirling around to face Kevin, nearly knocking over the stack of plates on the desk. "Don't do that!" she cried, putting a hand on her chest. She heard a crinkling sound and realizes she was still holding onto the flier and set it down onto his desk. "I mean…hi!"

"Why are you in my room?" Kevin asked, looking half amused and half curious.

"You left the meeting without anyone knowing," Mia quickly explained. "Jayden was going to give you the Bullzord Disc to try and figure out how to safely combine all of our zords to create the Gigazord." Kevin's eyes widened slightly. "We were looking for you."

"On the wall?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow, leaning to the side to look at the pictures behind her head.

"I didn't mean to snoop, I just—"

"Don't worry about it," Kevin replied, waving his hand in the air. Mia gave him an odd look. He really was acting weird. Kevin truly valued his privacy, and to not care that someone was snooping in his room?

"I was right before, wasn't I?" Mia asked quietly, retrieving the flier holding it out to him. "You're really missing your swim team right now?"

"Doesn't matter now," Kevin replied with a shake of his head as he briefly glanced at the flier. "Sometimes, the best thing you can do is know when to call it quits. I wasn't happy with the way I left, but I knew what had to be done."

"But, Kevin," Mia said, tilting her head to the side, "you've been training for the Olympics way before you started your Samurai training." Kevin slid his hand into his jeans pockets, leaning back against the wall behind him. "I just don't truly believe that you could give it up just like that."

"I know my duty as a Samurai Ranger is more important than swimming," Kevin said, scratching at the side of his neck. "I won't make myself vulnerable or put my friends and family in danger. My parents knew what it'd be like once I got called away. The Samurai life is what's most important right now."

"Jayden has given us the opportunity to see our families if we wanted to," Mia reminded him, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Like you, I wasn't going to go home, but it was great to have Terry here even if for a short while."

"And look where that got him?" Kevin pointed out to her. "Stalked by Dayu because of his guitar and having a Nighlok impersonate him to try and get to you."

Mia slowly nodded. She knew that he was making a really good point, but she could see that knowing his swim team was in town that he was starting to be conflicted. He saw it with Melody, and he saw it with Emily once she was back at her home. And Mia would be lying if she didn't have the urge to run after Terry and go home with him when he left. They weren't made out of stone. They missed their families.

"It's the Regional swim meet, Kevin," Mia said quietly, breaking the silence as Kevin stared at the floor. "That's a pretty big deal on your way to the Olympics. Well, I guess it is, I don't know much about swimming." She then looked him dead in the eye. "The thing is though…you left them in the middle of your last meet, right as it was starting."

Kevin opened his mouth to reply, but Mia cut him off. "You always knew that you were going to get the call to join us Rangers, but you kept swimming with your team. Don't you think you were leading them on? Thinking that you would be there for them? I know loyalty to this team is something that's important to you, but you just up and left them; your old team, to come here. You did something you always said you didn't want to do.

"Alright, alright, I get your point," Kevin said before letting out a huff of air. "I'm going for a walk. I need to clear my head."

"I'll go with you," Mia offered, setting the flier down onto his bed.

"If it's alright with you, I'd just like to be alone for a little bit," Kevin replied with a brief shake of his head. Mia nodded and he gave her a quick smile. "Thanks." He grabbed his keys and shoved them into his pocket before making his way out of the room.

..

.

Kevin made his way through the park, head down, kicking at each rock that came into his line of vision. One hand was in his jeans pocket, the other was massaging a spot on his shoulder where he had bumped into someone outside of the swimming complex in Panorama. He quickly apologized to the boy he bumped into and turned his head away for he had recognized the uniform he was wearing.

He was a member of his old swim team. Kevin was going to go inside and take a look at how his old friends were doing but decided against it, his fear of how they'd react to seeing him freaking him out. And he was right, they were still bitter. He sat outside, waiting to build up enough courage to head back into the building to try again when he heard his old teammate's voice. It was Noah.

_"Maybe he's come back to cheer you on."_

_"What do you mean? It was his fault we barely qualified. He left us high and dry. I never thought he'd do that to us."_

"I didn't think I'd do that to you guys, either," Kevin said as he made his way down a set of stairs, coming to a stop beside a water fountain. He let out a heavy sigh, sitting down on the edge, turning slightly to stare down into the water. "Maybe Mia's right. Maybe everything I've learned while being a Samurai, I did the exact opposite of to get here. I'm no Samurai; I'm a hypocrite."

He couldn't blame Noah for being mad at him. They were on the same swim team since their youth Guppie days, both of them bonding over wanting to one day be a part of the US Olympic Swim Team. As they grew older and grew more competitive they saw each other as their main competition. But, things started to go sour when in high school, Kevin qualified for States and Noah didn't. He thought his friend would be happy for him, and he was, but there was the part of him that was still jealous, and showed it when Kevin returned from the meet with a gold medal. Noah flicked his finger against it and said that since he won, Kevin didn't need him as competition anymore.

Kevin had basically grown up in the water. He would stay in as long as possible, even past the point of his fingers and toes becoming "wrinkly." But, he didn't care. He loved being in the water. It wasn't as open as the ocean, and it didn't have any riptides, but knowing that the whole cement block was open for him to swim in as long as he liked (or as long as the gym hours permitted him too) he wouldn't ever go home if asked. He felt free in the water, like nothing could hold him back. But, what he liked most about the sport was that while it was a team sport, it was all about you as the individual swimmer.

He could practically smell the chlorine in the pool as he closed his eyes, thinking back to his last swim meet. He was stretched, he cleared the condensation from his goggles, and the gun was about to go off. He could feel the hard plastic of the starting board under his feet. His toes cracked as he curled them around the edge of the board. He shook his arms out at his sides as he stared down at his shimmering reflection in the water**. **As he prepared to start the race, that was when the arrow shot into the pool area. And his life had never been the same.

But what stuck with him the most, were the words that came out of his coach's mouth, "Don't let me down." And by wanting to protect the city of Panorama and in the world, that's exactly what he did and Noah's words were a big reminder of it.

Kevin was at the top of his team. Not to sound like he was bragging, but he was the best, most experienced, member of his team, and everyone knew it. Other teams made it a point to beat him. That was why he took his training so seriously. He hated being beaten, so he did everything he could to win. And that transferred over to his Samurai training when he would spar against his dad. His dad was kind of an intense guy, always stressing how important training was.

He couldn't deny that she missed the competitions, and the smell of the chlorine, or how his body cut through the water as he sped towards the finish line, the cheers of the spectators reaching his ears and pushing him on. But, Samurai training was just as important to him. He just wished he could share it with everybody, explain to his friends why he left.

Kevin let out a heavy sigh and got to his feet, starting to walk down the path. _I wish I could tell Noah the truth, _he thought with a shake of his head, _but I have to keep my Power Ranger identity a secret. I'm a Power Ranger. It's best I stay away to keep him safe._

"Of course, without us keeping the city safe, there would be no swim meets," Kevin muttered to himself. He gave a small smile. It made him feel a little better, even if only for a little while. His head snapped up when he heard a loud scream. Looking around wildly, he saw a group of civilians running in his direction, screaming in terror. Kevin ran towards the screaming people, looking around wildly to find out what was going on.

_"Nice appetizer. I'm starved_."

Kevin gasped as he watched a Nighlok appear out from behind a set of trees, its arms stretched as mouths opened up on its hands, eating a car to pieces. Chunks of metal went flying through the air, clattering on the ground at his feet. "Nighlok!" Kevin shouted, getting the Nighlok's attention. He lifted his Samuraizer out of his pocket, flipping it open with his thumb. "Go, go—"

Kevin grunted in pain, his Samuraizer flying out of his hand as a bicyclist crashed into him. Gritting his teeth in pain, he rubbed at a spot on his back where the handlebars clipped him before checking on the woman who was lying beside the bike, shaken. "Are you ok?"

"I think so," the woman replied quietly, her lips shaking.

"_That bike looks tasty_."

"Move it!" Kevin shouted, grabbing the woman's arm. Kevin rolled her to safety just as the Nighlok's arms shot out to start eating the bike. Once he and the woman were clear, he looked around for his Samuraizer and spotted it just in time to see the Nighlok eating it.

"My Samuraizer!" Kevin shouted in dismay. He watched as the blue icon on the screen disappeared into the jaws of the mouth on the Nighlok's hand. _What do I do now? _He felt his hands curl into fists when the Nighlok belched, patting his stomach in satisfaction.

"Mmm, that's better," he taunted, leering over at Kevin. "What did you feed me, kid? I want some more?"

"Go, run!" Kevin said to the woman as he helped her to her feet. She nodded and took off running with the last people who were left in the park. "Give me back my Samuraizer, Nighlok." He sank into a fighting stance. "Or do you want me to give you a bad case of indigestion?"

"That tickles my funny bone, kid," the Nighlok said with a belly laugh. "But, what's _not _funny is that you spoiled my meal!" The Nighlok let out a loud cry before rushing towards Kevin. But, the Nighlok didn't make it there as he was struck down by something quick moving and red. As the Nighlok lay on the ground, Kevin smiled when he noticed his friends around him. "What? Samurai Rangers?"

"Kev, morph already," Mike shouted at him over his shoulder.

"If I could, don't you think I would?" Kevin asked, his annoyance instantly spiking. He clenched his teeth together. "I can't morph. He ate my Samuraizer."

"What? He ate it?" Mia asked, lowering her Spin Sword slightly as she looked over at him.

"You've got to be kidding," Melody said with a shake of her head. "One small dose of energy from the morphing grid, and this guy is as invincible as Superman."

"Anything can be broken," Jayden said to her, tightening his grip on his Spin Sword. "We'll get your Samuraizer back, Kev. Don't worry." He turned towards Kevin and put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll stop him, just stay back."

Jayden then led the charge into attacking the Nighlok. Kevin watched as the Nighlok's arms grew, smacking the Rangers around faster than they could move. Jayden managed to dodge the Nighlok's attacks and was able to land a few solid strikes on it before it escaped into a gap and the Rangers demorphed.

"Everyone ok?" Emily asked, rotating her shoulder, a frown on her face. "My parents always told me I got cranky whenever I was hungry, but that was ridiculous."

"Tell me about it," Antonio groaned, slowly rubbing his wrist. "We barely laid a scratch on him."

"How's your arm?" Melody asked, stepping up beside him. "Your backwards grip looked off. If it's still hurting—"

"Don't worry about me, chica, I'm fit as a fiddle," Antonio said, puffing out his chest. Melody smirked, smacking him with the back of her hand and he let out a breath of air, deflating. "So, Blue, how'd he get your Samuraizer? I don't doubt that the Nighlok will be back when it gets hungry,"

"From the look of it, it shouldn't be that long," Emily commented. She threw a grin Mike's way, elbowing him in the side. "His appetite is on par with Mike's."

"Hey!" Mike cried in protest.

"Are you ok?" Mia placed a hand on Kevin's back and rubbed small circles in the middle of his spine before wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

"I just can't believe it," Kevin said, his voice barely above a whisper, as he hugged her back. "He ate it. My Samuraizer…my powers. They're gone."

"We'll get it back," Mia promised him. "We have to."

"Don't give up now, Kevin," Jayden added, walking over to the Blue Ranger, patting him on the shoulder. "Things look bad, but—"

"Jayden, he _ate _my Samuraizer," Kevin snapped.

Jayden blinked in surprise at the tone. "I understand that," he replied evenly. "We all heard you. I assure you, that we'll get your Samuraizer back."

"How?" Kevin demanded.

"…I don't know," Jayden admitted after a moment of silence. "But, until we get your Samuraizer back, keep your head down stay out of trouble. You can't fight without it. Moogers, maybe, but without your suit, you could get a nasty wound, maybe even a fatal one, from their swords."

"Whatever," Kevin muttered, shaking his head. He started to back away from the other Rangers. Shocked, confused, and hurt looks crossed their faces. "You don't get it. You just don't get it."

"Kevin!"

"I need some air." He turned on his heels and made his way up the concrete path, feeling worse than he had ever felt before. Now, he wasn't just letting his swim team down, but he was letting his Samurai team down as well.

* * *

**A/N:**I bet you guys didn't see that coming with Jayden's dream, did you? I've been waiting to get to that moment for a while in this fic. Hope you guys liked this chapter!

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	34. Chapter 34: Kevin's Choice

**.:Chapter Thirty-Four – Kevin's Choice:.**

* * *

Kevin didn't know what to do or think. He's always described himself as a swimmer or a Samurai depending on the context of the situation. But, now he was neither. He didn't feel like himself. He didn't know _how _ to be himself. He gave up swimming with the thought that he'd go back to it once Samurai training was over, and Master Xandred was defeated. He never thought about what would happen if he failed.

Failure.

That was a concept he never thought he had to think about as he had never failed at anything in his life, unless you counted keeping down anything Mia cooked for any of them. His dad had always stressed to him how important it was to succeed in everything he did. He didn't want to let him down.

_What is it that _you _want, Kevin? Are you letting _yourself _down_? he thought with a heavy sigh as the last bit of the sun slipped below the horizon. He didn't even know how to answer that question let alone any others that racked his mind. What mattered first and foremost was that he didn't have a Samuraizer anymore and he didn't know if he would ever get it back. It wasn't like him to dwell on the negatives, but he was never before forced into this type of situation.

He was prepared for anything and everything thrown his way with his dad's help. Late night practice sessions whenever he was feeling sluggish in the water, early morning work outs for his Samurai training, dividing his life equally between the two parts of his lives. For the longest time swimming and Samurai training was all he knew. But now, he had time to learn more about himself. Maybe he wasn't _just _Kevin the Samurai or Kevin the swimmer. Now, he could be just Kevin.

He looked up from the ground and realized he was outside of the swimming area. He frowned as he looked up at the doors. "This might be harder than I thought," he muttered with a heavy sigh. He looked around, sliding his hands into his sweatshirt pockets. "Just one more look around, Kev. It won't kill you. It's just for old time's sake."

He stared at the sliding doors for a moment before letting out the breath of air he didn't know he was holding. He took a few steps forward and stopped short, his eyes growing wide when he saw his old teammates heading towards him, finishing up their practice. He looked around wildly, knowing that with each passing second, he was soon to be discovered and he didn't know how he was going to deal with them just yet. He spotted a giant bush by the building and hurried over to it, hiding around the corner in enough time. Pushing some long leaves out of his way, he watched as his former team left the building.

"_This just isn't working. We're this close to the finals; we can't be doing this horribly. We were five seconds faster when—_"

"_When Kevin was still around_?"

Kevin watched as Noah's features turned from confused and anxious to annoyed and angry as he turned towards the teammate that Kevin didn't recognize. The other two he recognized to be Alan and Patrick and realized with a start, that the new kid must've been a new addition to the team, effectively replacing him.

"_Forget Kevin, why don't ya? _He _was the one who left us hanging, remember? He left us high and dry before that meet and we were barely able to hang on and make it here._" Noah trailed off, adjusting the bag on his shoulder. "_And he didn't even say goodbye_."

"_Call me crazy_," Kevin heard Alan pipe up in a quiet tone, "_but you seem to be the only one who's still hung up about Kevin leaving. I mean, we _did _manage to get her without him_._"_

_"I saw him here, I know I did_."

"_Yeah, sure, Gavin_."

The youngest boy frowned, glancing down at his feet. Kevin fought the urge to jump out of his hiding place to prove to everybody that what 'Gavin' had seen was true, he _was _back. But, he had betrayed his team and he hadn't swam in a long while it wasn't like he could just go back to his old life. _But, wasn't that what you were going to do as soon as this whole Samurai thing is over_, Kevin thought, pressing his lips together. _How useful would you have been to the team, then_?

"_Look, all that matters now is that we get plenty of rest before our last practice tomorrow_," Noah said with a heavy sigh. "_Eat carbs tonight; pasta, spaghetti, anything like that. We have to have plenty of energy for tomorrow_." Noah got a chorus of mumbles in reply as he lead the way across the parking lot. Kevin didn't move until he was absolutely sure none of them would be able to see him if they looked back.

"What were you expecting, Kev, they were going to welcome you back with open arms?" he asked himself as he stepped out of the bush.

He brushed off his clothes before making the long way back to the Shiba House. He knew he was in for an earful with how many calls and messages he had ignored while he was out. But, that didn't matter anymore. As he pushed on the doors of the Shiba House, making his way inside the warm house, he was surprised to find that the house was dark.

"Kevin."

Kevin looked up and realized, with a start, that the Rangers were sitting in the living room. Emily was the first to get to her feet, throwing her arms around his waist in a hug. Kevin backed up a few steps, blinking in surprise at the sudden movement before giving her a brief hug in return.

"Dude, where've you been?" Mike asked, getting to his feet, stretching his arms over his head.

"Out," Kevin replied shortly, "walking."

"You've missed it, we've all been thinking of ways to get your Samuraizer back," Mike said, motioning for Kevin to join them. "Come on, wait until you hear some of them. Totally out there, but I think we could make it work."

_Of course, the Samuraizer is all he cares about_, Kevin thought, his lips twitching. _When did we all become so single minded_? He swallowed, trying to think of what to say in reply when he realized that the other Rangers were waiting for him to say something. "Oh," he managed to get out, "right. Thanks."

"Kevin?" Emily asked, a frown on her face. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, amigo, I mean, we thought you'd be…I don't know…_happy_ about it," Antonio added, exchanging looks with Jayden.

"I am," Kevin replied with a nod. He took a few steps closer to the group. "Thanks."

"So, Kevin, while we wait to come up with a fool proof plan to get your Samuraizer back, we all came to the agreement that you should be the one to figure out how to combine all of our zords together if we use the Bull Disc," Jayden said after he cleared his throat. He reached for a small, black leather notebook and held it out to Kevin. Kevin reached out to take the book and flipped through the pages, seeing drawing after drawing of each of the zords they already owned. "You've managed to find a way to get the Samurai Battlewing together I know that you can do this, too."

"Thanks," Kevin replied, patting the heel of his palm with the book. "I'll get right on it, I guess." He scratched the back of his head with his free hand as he slowly made his way out of the room. But, he didn't go far.

"_I'm really worried about him_," Mia commented with a sigh. "_He's never been like this before_." There was silence for a moment and then a shuffling sound.

"_What_?" Kevin heard Melody asked, her voice sounding higher than usual. He wondered if they were all looking at her.

"_You're good at giving people advice, dude_," Mike pointed out. "_In fact, I think you've given everyone in this house, but Kevin some advice_."

"_Can't help someone that doesn't want it_." Kevin could picture Melody shaking her head back and forth.

"_There's gotta be something we can do_," Emily spoke up, "_I mean, something besides his Samuraizer being eaten must've happened_."

"_Ineed_." Kevin's eyes widened slightly when he heard Mentor Ji's voice. He didn't know how much Mentor himself knew about the swimming finals, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he possibly found out. Mentor knew a lot of things whether or not you told him specifically. Kevin's heart started beating faster when he heard the rustling sound of paper being unfolded. "_I saw this in town today_."

"_It's a poster,"_ Jayden muttered, "_for_—"

"_Kevin's old swim team is in town for the Regional Finals_." Kevin closed his eyes, letting out the breath of air he wasn't aware that he was holding. It was out now. The silence was unsettling, he wanted to know what the other Rangers were thinking and at the same time, he didn't want to know. Jayden was the first to speak up.

"_Listen_," he said, and waited in silence for a moment. "_Kevin can't fight without his Samuraizer. He needs time to figure things out._" There was some more silence. "_I know I've kept a tight reign on all of you guys, but we can all see how that's been working out for us. We need to give Kevin space, let him do what he thinks he needs to do_."

"_Then we'll give it to him. We'll find his Samuraizer in the process and give it back to him so he can join us again," _Mike said. Kevin was surprised that no wise crack came out of his mouth. "_If he wants to, that is_."

"Do I want to?" Kevin asked after a moment of silence.

Jayden was right, he _had _seen how hard it was, not only for the Rangers, but for Mentor and Jayden to have them be so closed off from their families. Kevin saw the doubt in Jayden every once in a while, but the Red Ranger was doing a great job as a leader. Even when Kevin had his little stint of the leader while Jayden was gone, he wondered if what he was doing himself was even half of what Jayden could do. But, once again, he was right…he needed some time to think about what it was that he was going to do.

He made his way into his room and fell face first onto his bed with a heavy sigh. He laid there for a moment before rolling onto his back, grabbing a pencil off his cluttered bedside table, he flipped open the book and started working on the Gigazord combination. At first, he just stared at every picture of every zord they owned ,before he flipped to a blank page and started to draw. He didn't know how long he had been in there, but the creak of his door opening got his attention.

"Leave me alone," he muttered without looking up to see who it was. "I'm not in the mood to talk." There was a sigh and Kevin looked up from the sketchbook and glanced at Mia who was sitting cross legged on Mike's bed, watching him. He pointed his pencil at her. "I wouldn't do that. Mike tends to leave food in his bed, and there's been two occasions where I've found some visitors eating it." Mia sighed.

"I'll take my chances," Mia replied. Kevin went back to the sketch book, it was obvious that she wasn't going to be moving anytime soon. He tried to ignore her, but he could feel her staring at him.

"I don't know why you're still here," he said after a long stretch of silence. "I mean, besides burning holes into the side of my head. Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"If you weren't being a bit of a jerk, I would," Mia stated calmly, resting her elbows on her knees. "You're not yourself, Kevin. I've never seen you act this way."

Kevin let out a heavy sigh, setting down the sketch book. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning to face her. "Maybe this is how Kevin acts." Mia gave her a confused look. "I'm not a swimmer and I'm not a Samurai anymore—"

"Just because you don't have your Samuraizer doesn't mean you're not a Samurai," she pointed out to him. "You've gone through years of training, you live by the Samurai code, you—"

"I'm not sure of who I am," Kevin slowly replied. "Not anymore."

"You're _Kevin_," Mia replied, sounding a little bit annoyed. "You're not just one thing or the other. You're the best swordsman on this team apart from Jayden. You're a son. You're a friend. You're a Samurai. You're a Power Ranger. You're…the bane of Mike's existence." Kevin laughed a little bit. "You're like a brother to all of us. No one is just one thing."

"A brother," Kevin repeated, frowning a little bit. He then shook his head, going back to what he was doing.

"I don't know why you're pushing me away when I've been on your side this whole time," Mia said quietly. "I didn't tell the others about your swim tea—"

"I know," Kevin said with a nod of thanks. "I heard Mentor tell them. It's just as well, now I have more free time to come up with combinations. Those Nighlok won't know what hit them."

"Kev," Mia said and Kevin turned to look at her. She gave him a gentle smile. "What's done is done, and what's to come no one knows, but right here, right now? I'm not leaving you behind. None of us are. You're still a Samurai and still our friend." Her mouth twisted to the side for a moment. "Just believe me, for right now."

"…Okay," Kevin replied after a moment of silence. "Thanks, Mia."

"You're welcome."

..

.

_The water was warm. That wasn't surprising due to how warm the state was year round. Kevin sank down deeper and deeper, slowly turning his head back and forth as he looked for it._

Where is it? _Kevin looked through the blue waters, wondering where his Samuraizer had gone. And then he spotted it, a black shape at the bottom of the pool, the front place glowing a bright blue as his symbol slowly spun in a circle. Smiling to himself, he swam towards it, but it kept getting farther and farther away._

When did the pool get this deep? _Kevin wondered as he kicked his legs harder, cutting through the water as fast as he could go. He grinned as he finally reached the hard bottom and grabbed his Samuraizer. Looking upwards, he saw the dim lights from the pool ceiling. He pushed hard off the ground and started to make his way upwards._

_Suddenly, something grabbed his foot and he looked down to see a black mass slowly spreading across the bottom of the pool. Harsh laughter surrounded him as he looked down and noticed the mouth on Skarf's arm with his foot, ankle deep in his mouth. Kevin kicked at the mouth with his free foot as hard as he could, but the water slowed down any power he had. He started to feel a tight sensation in his chest. Kevin started to struggle against Skarf's hold._ I needed to get air. Quickly!

_The harder he struggled, the harder Skarf's grip tightened on his ankle. His foot throbbed with pain and his arms startled to burn with every movement he made. Everything around him started to get darker and darker. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Dots burst in front of his eyes as he opened my mouth, sucking in the big gulps of the chlorine water. _

_His struggling lessened as he felt an odd sense of calm wash over him..._

Hearing a loud splash, Kevin blinked, sucking in a deep lungful of air. He looked around and closed his eyes, realizing that he was in the pool area._ Man, that dream_, he thought, shivering slightly as he peered around the corner. He could see four bright blue heads (because of the swim caps they were wearing) in the water, swimming as fast as they could to one end.

He adjusted hi backpack on his back and frowned. He had been hoping that no one was at the pool. He wanted to see if he was still fast in the water, but with his team practicing there, he didn't wait to risk getting into an argument or somehow spilling his secret because he _knew _that they'd be looking for an answer from him. But, being back in the pool area, the smell of chlorine wafting up his nose, it made him long for the days where he would spend all day training.

"Cramp!" Kevin jumped at the sudden shout and looked over at the water.

He could see three simmers heading back to the diving platform. When he looked back at the opposite end, he saw Noah struggling to stay above water, holding his leg. He was already too far from the edge of the pool climb out, and he couldn't swim that far with his cramped leg. As well, he was struggling too much to swim over to a lane marker and hold on to it.

Kevin dropped his back to the ground and quickly pulled off his shirt and took a step towards the pool, but stopped when his dream came back to his mind. As he stood there, he could hear Noah's cries become more and more desperate. Sucking in a deep breath of air, Kevin ran around the corner and to the side of the pool. Pushing off hard with his feet, he did a swan dive into the water. Ducking under the lane markers, he grabbed Noah's arms and pulled him through the water pulled off his shirt and instantly dove into the pool. He swam over to Noah, grabbed him, and pulled him back to the edge of the pool. Coughing, he rested his arms on the concrete side, breathing heavily.

"Kevin? Is that really you?" Noah asked as he took a good look at the man who saved him, blinking the water out of his eyes.

Kevin sighed and nodded. "Don't try to talk, Noah, just breathe." He pulled himself out of the water and knelt down by the side, holding his hand out to his former teammate. "Are you ok?" He heard the sound of patting feet and turned his head to see the other swimmers rushing towards them, calling Noah's name.

Noah glanced at them before slapping at Kevin's arm. Kevin recoiled, pulling his arm back, narrowing his eyes in confusion at Noah. "Leave me alone," Noah snapped, "My _team_ will take care of me. I don't need your help."

"It is you." Kevin slowly turned to face Gavin. Gavin grinned, holding out his hand, a wide smile on his face. Kevn gave a short laugh before taking Gavin's hand in his, shaking it. "You're a legend around here."

"Yeah, I don't know about that," he sighed, glancing back at Noah. He and Noah had a strange relationship; they were good friends, and teammates, but they could also be each other's bitter enemies and rivals. It was obvious that this was no exception. Once Kevin quit the swim team, he quit Noah. As he started to walk he heard Noah say: "You were the best anyone around here has ever seen. I'll never understand why you just walked away from all that."

_Of course you wouldn't. _Kevin turned around, "Look, Noah, I wish I could explain but…" he shook his head. "I just wanted to wish you good luck. I have to go, but I'm glad you're ok."

Kevin turned and walked bandy legged out of the pool area, grabbing his bag and leaving the complex, ignoring the curious stares he got his way. As he left, he felt more annoyed than ever. He always went to the pool to calm himself down, and even that wasn't helping him out.

"Maybe I am being a hypocrite," Kevin commented, as he slipped his shirt on over his head. It immediately clung to his skin from the water that still dripped off his body. "I always tell Mike and the others how important Samurai training is and how we can't lose sight of our mission even for a second." Noah's words echoed in his head. _If he only knew; teamwork was the most important thing of my life_.

Kevin aimlessly made his way to the pier, and sat down. He pulled off his shoes and left the in a patch of sun to dry before pulling off his socks, wringing them out. "I've got to keep my mind _off_ that stuff." He dropped his backpack from his shoulder and rooted around inside until he got the book of zords. "The Samurai still need my help…whether or not I can fight against them."

He had let Noah and his team down, but he couldn't do the same to the Samurai. He had been kicked off the Samurai team by Shin, not Mia or Emily, and they were trusting him to help and save them. After being kicked off, he had gotten so distracted by the swim meet and his failures with his swim team, he had forgotten all about them.

He wouldn't let them down. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.

* * *

"Maybe if we tried _this_ way," Mike said as his foldingzord soared into his hands. He carefully unfolded the bear zord and stuck it to the other zords, forming a smaller version of the Samurai Megazord. He flipped through the pages of the book beside him, stopping on the Swordfish Zord. "And then we could probably get the Swordfish Zord to fit here and—"

"Well, then what other zord could we fit there?" Emily asked. "I mean, these little grooves there mean we can add something else to it, but I don't think any other zord will fit there." Mike threw his arms up in frustration.

"Why don't we just give up," he asked, grabbing the Samurai Megazord, starting to pull it apart. "There's no way we can figure this out, even with Kevin's help."

"Stop it, Mike, you're going to break them," Emily cried in protest, reaching out to grab his arms. "We'll figure it out; we just have to be patient."

"I still think this is a bad idea," Mike said, shaking his head. "I mean, when will we have the chance to test this out. And, if we don't get it right, we could blow ourselves to smithereens."

"Mike!" Mike lifted his head and looked over at Jayden, who was standing in his training uniform, much like the rest of them, his arms crossed over his chest. Jayden turned his head and looked at the Green Ranger. "Kevin will figure this out."

"Well, yeah," Mike agreed. "But, Kevin hasn't been his usual self lately, in case you haven't noticed." Jayden didn't reply, and looked back over at the sparring Rangers. Mia was off to the side, listening to whatever it was that Jaeger was telling her, nodding every so often.

Antonio was one who often trained by himself as he was always out fishing, and because they didn't have any weapon that acted like his Barracuda Blade. Antonio _wanted_ to cut a shinai in half, but Jayden advised against it, making him start to learn how to use a shinai in the off chance he only had one blade to use, or if he ever got his hands on a sword.

Mike silently watched as Melody worked with Antonio, working mainly on his technique, but with Melody whenever she sparred she didn't back down, but she wasn't out to hurt you either. She took a step back as Antonio swung his shinai through the air, barely missing her head as it made a whistling sound.

"I think Antonio's getting the hang of it," Emily commented, twisting some of her hair into a braid as she watched.

Jayden made a noise in the back of his throat as Melody and Antonio bowed towards each other before starting up another round of sparring. Antonio was fast, but with having to get his muscles used to the new fighting style, he was making a lot of little mistakes. Melody took advantage of it and fought back hard, mixing her Samurai training with her normal ninjitsu fighting style; quick and silent. At one moment, Antonio lost his footing after lunging towards her.

Melody easily side stepped him and swatted him in the back of the knee with her shinai causing his leg to collapse underneath him and he fell to the ground. Rolling onto his back, he used one hand to shield the sun and the other lay on his chest, breathing heavily. Antonio said something to her, which made her laugh.

Jayden pressed a hand to his temples, muttering something under his breath. "Swap out with Antonio," Jayden said to Mike.

"Uh, sure," Mike replied, moving to the rack of shinais to grab one for himself. He looked over at Emily who shrugged. But, before Mike could tell the two Rangers of the change, the Gap Sensor went off, instantly getting everyone's attention.

"Rangers, we've got trouble," Jayden announced before they all ran inside the cool Shiba House. Mentor was already standing above the table, looking over the pulsating dot. "Mentor, where—"

"The Nighlok is back at the city center," Mentor announced, pointing towards the pulsating dot. "It's near where the Regional Finals are being held. Work quickly, Rangers."

"But, what about Kevin?" Emily asked quietly.

"I'm sure wherever he is, he's ok," Jayden replied, "he'll join us when he's ready."

"Not without his Samuraizer, though," Antonio said with a shake of his head. "He wouldn't do that. Put himself in danger like that."

"Well, Kevin _is_ a Samurai," Melody pointed out to him, "and from what I've seen, Kevin would do anything he could to keep people out of trouble, with or without his powers. That's just who he is."

"Let's go, then," Jayden replied, leading the way out of the house.

..

.

The Rangers were fighting hard against, Skarf, but with his stretchy arms, he was proving to be a harder fight then they imagined. After a hard blow to his stomach, Jayden rolled on the ground, pressing the tip of his sword into the ground, using it as a crutch to help him push himself to his feet.

"We need to find out where Kevin's Samuraizer is," he called over to the Rangers. Mike was struggling to push the blade of his sword against the touch exterior of the Samurai. "Mike, back off for a bit until we come up with a plan."

Jayden jumped back when Jaeger was thrown off of the Nighlok. Twisting in the air, he turned from his lion form to his human form, landing easily on his feet as he drew his sword. "I think the Samuraizer has given him more power," Jaeger said to Jayden out of the side of his mouth as Emily, Mia, Antonio, and Melody fell into line beside them. "That's the only explanation; he wasn't as tough before."

"Is it possible that there's a pool of Sanzu River water around?" Mia asked, turning to Jayden, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We never saw him dry out before, he just ran off."

"Both ideas are very possible," Jayden said to Mia. He then turned back towards Mike. "Mike, fall back. Now!"

"Alright, alright!" Mike replied, loosening the pressure of his Spin Sword against the Nighlok. He fell back to join the other Rangers. "This Nighlok will be hacked to pieces, I promise you." He then lifted his head, tapping his helmet with his gloved hand. "I have an idea." He pulled his Samuraizer out of its pocket and flipped it open with his thumb. "How about a crank call?"

The Rangers waited for a moment and then heard the familiar ringing of Kevin's Samuraizer. The Nighlok looked around wildly, trying to locate the sound of the noise. "Where's that ringing coming from?" Skarf asked, looking around. "Oh my god, it's _so _annoying."

"Nice idea, Mike," Emily said, patting Mike on the shoulder. "Now, if only we can figure out where it is."

"Hold on," Melody said, holding up her hand. Her eyes slid shut and her face relaxed. The Samuraizer continued to ring and she tilted her head to the side, trying to locate the noise. Her eyes suddenly flew open. "Got it."

"Right arm?" Jaeger asked, turning towards her and she nodded. "Good." He cracked the knuckles on his right hand. "I'll have it out in an instant." The Rangers charged forward, and skidded to a stop when a figure landed in front of them.

Jayden gasped. "Deker," he said, his voice turning into a growl, his grip tightening on his Spin Sword.

"It can't be," Melody said, her voice barely above a whisper. Deker merely glanced over at her, giving a brief nod of her had. "My dreams…you're _real_."

"Forgive me for intruding, but I must," Deker commented in his low, gravelly voice.

"Skarf, hurry up and eat," Dayu commented as she walked out from behind the Rangers. "Go stuff yourself until you pop. We'll keep the Rangers busy until then."

"I'm surprised you'd ever show your face again, Dayu," Mia said, turning to face the female Nighlok. "Especially after how badly we beat you last time."

"Aw, did you miss me?" Dayu asked in a baby tone before drawing her dagger from her damaged Harmonium. "Let's find out just how much, Pink Ranger." Mia let out a grunt of pain as Dayu rushed forward, slamming her shoulder into Mia's stomach. She stumbled back, crashing into Jayden who was fighting Deker. "Sorry, Jay."

"No problem," Jayden replied, ducking out of the way of Deker's attack. "Talk to me; how are you still alive? I watched you fall over that cliff."

"Since my sword, Uramasa was broken in battle," Deker said between gasps of breath as he continued to swing his broken sword at Jayden, "my spell was broken." He let out a "ha" of triumph when he kicked Jayden in the chest, knocking him onto his back. "You could say that I was lost, but now I'm found." He charged toward Jayden as the Red Ranger quickly got to his feet. "And now, I'm going finally going to have the duel I've been waiting for."

"I already fought you, Deker," Jayden said through clenched teeth as his Spin Sword and Uaramasa crashed together.

"And yet, I'm not _satisfied_." Deker swung Uramasa in an arc, knocking Jayden's arms up into the air. Deker jumped upwards, stretching out to slam his feet into Jayden's chest. He chuckled as he landed on the ground. "Until Uramasa is fixed, I'm just a sword for hire."

"Then, I'll just have to make sure I defeat you again," Jayden replied, gripping his chest, as he got to his feet. "And I _will_ defeat you."

"We'll see, Red Ranger," Deker replied, sounding bored, "we'll see."

"Yes, we will," Jayden replied. "Black Box; Super Samurai Mode." Jayden felt a rush of energy surge through his body as his Ranger suit got the white addition to it. Rushing forward, he joined Antonio and Melody fighting against Deker.

"I think he's stalling for time," Antonio shouted over at Jayden before spinning out of the way, allowing Melody to take a few swipes at Deker.

"But, why?" Jayden asked, swinging his blade down towards Deker.

"Dayu told him to keep eating," Melody replied, using her sword to block Uramasa as Antonio rushed forward, slamming the Lightzord into Deker's stomach. "He probably gets stronger that way."

"And with the added power of the Samuraizer," Jayden wondered aloud, "then he'll be stronger than any Nighlok we've fought." Jayden let out a gasp as Deker suddenly turned on his heels and raced towards the Nighlok, with Dayu right beside him.

"Alright, Dayu, let's do this for Serrator," Deker growled.

"Right," Dayu agreed, falling into step beside him. Before the Rangers could do anything, they watched as the two Nighlok struck powerful blows against Skarf.

"What are they doing?" Emily asked, lowering her arm. "They just attacked him. I don't get it."

"It's something bad, I can feel it," Mike said, shaking his head.

"His true power is unleashed when he's defeated," Dayu explained with a smirk of glee. She let out a weird laugh. "You'll see."And with that, Deker and Dayu left, slipping through a gap.

"True power?" Mia repeated. She suddenly gasped. "We have to get Kevin's Samuraizer back, now. If his true power is unleashed when he's defeated, who knows how strong he'll be with that added power."

She stumbled a little bit when Jayden bumped into her as he rushed forward. With a loud cry, Jayden cut Skarf's arm, and he watched as Kevin's Samuraizer flew out of it. He grabbed it from the air, turned on his heel, and ran back towards the Rangers as the Nighlok exploded behind him.

"Got it!" he declared, holding out Kevin's Samuraizer in his hand. "And it still works."

"No teeth marks either," Mike said with a small laugh as he looked it over. He then thumped Jayden's shoulder. "Great job, Red." Hearing a loud scream, the Samurai Rangers looked up to see Skarf grow into his second life, two halves to a giant shield on his arms. As he brought them together, it made a face, and two beams of pink energy shot out of its eyes, exploding at the Rangers feet. "Move it!"

Mike pushed Emily in front of her as the ground buckled underneath his feet, sending him through the air, to crash back down on the ground. He rolled once, his head spinning, before pushing himself up onto his elbows. "Everyone ok?"

"Fantistico," Antonio replied to his right, where he had used his body to shield Melody from the hit. Melody gave a brief thumbs up before turning to face Jayden, who was lying near them.

"Jayden, you ok?" she asked him.

"Never better," Jayden replied, getting to his hands and knees. Jaeger walked over to him and grabbed his elbow, helping him to his feet. "Thanks." Jaeger nodded. "That shield of his is going to be a real pain in the—"

"Jayden!" Jayden turned his head and a smile came to his face when he saw Kevin running over to them. "I saw the explosions, I came as fast as I could." Kevin put a hand on Jayden's shoulder, gasping for air as he tried to catch his breath. "Samuraizer or not, I'm here to fight with my team."

"You're just in time," Jayden replied, tossing Kevin his Samuraizer. "Suit up. We really need you out there."

Kevin fumbled with his Samuraizer for a moment before clutching it to his chest. His eyes widened as he looked at the object in his hands. "My Samuraizer," Kevin said with a grin, "you got it back." Kevin glanced up at the Nighlok, setting his jaw. "You messed with the wrong Ranger, Nighlok. Go Go Samurai!"

..

.

Kevin stuck two fingers in his mouths, letting out a shrill whistle as he watched his team compete in the Regional Finals. They were making great time, and looked to be on their way to a first place victory. He couldn't have been more proud, nor could he have felt more left out.

This was one important meet of many that he would be a part of if it wasn't for his Samurai training. But, that was just as important to him and figuring out the Gigazord combination, was what made him realize that Samurai training was _more_ important, even if just slightly.

He looked over at the diving board and saw Gavin stepping up, adjusting hi swim goggles, getting ready to take his part in the meet. His eyes then drifted over to Noah. _Of course_; _Noah was always the best as anchor_. A fond smile came to Kevin's face. They worked well together; he would often be the first to start the race, giving them a good lead, and Noah would be last, solidifying their win, or in some cases, coming up from behind to _take_ the win.

But, then Kevin noticed that Noah was massaging his leg and his smile quickly turned to a frown. "Oh no," Kevin muttered under his breath, "he's cramping up again." He clenched his teeth together, looking at the pool and back at Noah. Gavin got ready to start his lap. When his teammate touched the wall, he dove into the water. _There's no way he'll swim fast enough to win_. The cheering around him seemed to get louder and louder and louder. _How can I let the Samurai code of silence stop me from helping my friends_?

Kevin turned in his seat when he felt a tap on his shoulders and his eyes widened slightly when he saw Melody sitting behind him, holding out his gym bag towards him with one hand. In the other she had a corn dog. "Want a bite?" she asked, holding it out towards him.

"You're not supposed to have food in here," Kevin gasped, "and how did you even get in here?"

"Like anybody is even paying attention," Melody said with a shrug taking another bite out of it, "and how do you _think_ I got in here." Her eyes flashed purple for a moment. She shook his bag. "You left this at home when you ran out in a hurry. Mia told me not to come, but hey—" she shrugged, "since when do I listen to orders that people give me?"

"I don't need your help," Kevin commented, eyeing the bag wearily.

"Of course you don't," Melody replied simply, pushing his gym bag into his arms. "Because that would mean that you'd have to admit that you're in trouble." She snorted. "Which, we both know, you'd never want to admit to, least of all to me. Mia, maybe, but definitely not to me." She tilted her head to the side. "If you don't go now, your team will lose for sure."

"But—" Kevin looked back over the water.

"Hurry," Melody insisted.

Kevin nodded, taking the bag from her. He got out of his seat and hurried down the bleachers. When he looked back to thank her, she was gone. Kevin blinked in surprise, but made his way to the closest bathroom, changing as fast as he could. He hurried over to Noah as he stepped over to the diving board, and put a hand to his shoulder.

"Kevin, what-?"

"I got this," Kevin replied, "you're really hurt. Your leg is cramping again, right?"

Noah looked like he was going to deny it, then let out a sigh through his nose. "Um, yeah," he replied after a moment of silence. "But—"

"Don't worry," Kevin said as he put on his swim cap, pulling the elastic down over his ears. "I won't let you down."

"Really?" Noah asked, his eyes widening. Kevin grinned as he pulled his goggles down over his eyes. "Thanks, Kevin. It's great to have you back…if only for a little while."

"We're a team, right?" Kevin asked, clapping Noah on the shoulder. He stepped up onto the diving platform, the lines of plastic digging into his feet. He sucked in a deep breath of air, and as Gavin touched the side of the pool, he dove forward.

* * *

"I've been thinking up some new training techniques," Mentor said to Jayden. The two of them were sitting at the table in the backyard, waiting for Kevin to get home. "Working alongside Melody's work out plan, it should help with your endurance and overall fighting skills."

"What about Antonio?" Jayden asked, drumming his fingers onto the table. "It's going to take him a while to learn how to use a single blade."

"Yes, as it should," Mentor replied with a nod, "but I have faith that Antonio will soon master it. He can pick things up pretty quickly. It also wouldn't hurt if your Rangers learned how to fight with a backwards grip." Jayden's lips twitched. "We should figure out when to introduce the new techniques, so we don't catch anyone off guard. Everyone's been stepping up their game. With Deker and Dayu both around, we have to be on our toes."

"We'll be fine, Mentor," Jayden reassured him. "And I really think the girls are improving." Jayden nodding in thanks as Mentor poured him some more tea. "And Antonio, he's doing really well. I just think he gets distracted a little too easily." He took a sip of his tea, lifting his eyes to look at Mentor Ji. "Better than you thought he ever could, huh?" He gave Ji a smile as the older man shook his head, pausing to look at the back gate as it swung open. Jayden followed his gaze. "Kevin."

"Hey," Mentor greeted, getting to his feet. "Did Noah's team win?"

Kevin paused before walking closer to the two men. "Yeah," he replied with a nod as Jayden got to his feet. "Well, _my _team won." He watched as Mentor Ji and Jayden exchanged glances. "I'm glad I finally got to say goodbye to them." He then looked over at Jayden. "Thank you for being so patient with me, lately. You know my loyalty to this team truly come first."

A smile spread across Jayden's face as he nodded. "We never doubted you for a second," Jayden said, clapping him on the shoulder. "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have figured out how to make the Gigazord combination. We nearly broke our foldingzords trying to figure out how to do it ourselves."

"I want to apologize to you guys, for not telling you about the swim meet," Kevin said to Mentor and Jayden. "I…I guess I was just hoping it'd blow over, and I wouldn't have to worry you guys. I mean, you all know how important swimming is to me. But being a Samurai is more important."

"Kevin, I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me about things like this," Jayden said. He glanced over at Mentor who silently nodded his head. "In fact, I think there should be a few rule changes. I've seen how hard you all have been working, and how hard it is for you to stay away from your families or anybody from your former lives before you got here, which was why I offered for you to go see your family…and why I wanted you to figure out how you were going to handle the swim finals being held in Panorama."

"Thank you for allowing me to participate," Kevin said with a nod of thanks.

"Anytime," Jayden replied, clapping Kevin on the back as they made their way inside. He led the way into the living room and stopped short when he saw Mia, Emily, Kevin, Antonio, and Melody all crowded around the table, trying to force their folding zords together in different combinations.

"I just don't know how he was able to do that," Mike said, scratching his head as his Bear foldingzord folded back into its emblematic state. "Are you _sure_ the Beetlezord didn't go there?"

"Guys," Kevin spoke up, laughing a little bit as he stepped into the room. "The most important thing is that we were able to combine our zords into the Gigazord in the first place." He shrugged, smiling. "And now we have more power on our side. Even I doubt Xandred would have a Nighlok that's ready to stand up to us."

"Hear, hear," Antonio said, giving Kevin a mock salute. "So? Did you win the team the gold?"

Kevin chuckled, moving to sit down on the floor next to Mia. "Yes, we won," he replied and instantly got cheers and thumps on the back from his friends. "I wish you all were there."

"Nah, you didn't need the added pressure," Emily replied, waving her hand in the air before she wrapped her arms around his, giving his arm a hug. "But, we're proud of you, Kevin."

"And thanks, Mel, for bringing me my stuff," Kevin said, giving her a smile.

"Thank, Mia," Melody replied, jerking her thumb towards the Pink Ranger. "She was the one that found your suit and got that and your towel washed fast enough. I was just the one that brought it to you."

"I thought you said Mia told you _not _to come," Kevin said, raising his eyebrows.

"So I'm a glory hog, what else is new?" Melody asked with a shrug and a grin. "It was a long shot if anything, but I'm kind of surprised that they let you join the race on such short notice."

"Well…despite Noah being mad at me, he never once questioned our friendship," Kevin said with a heavy sigh. "But, he did have _some_ faith in me, as they had kept my name on the roster as an alternate swimmer."

"That's great," Mia said with a warm smile, rubbing his shoulder.

"Well, I'm glad you were able to get back in the water, one last time," Melody said, reaching for her folgdingzord.

"Gee, Mel, I didn't know that you cared," Emily said with a teasing grin.

"I didn't say that," Melody immediately shot back. Emily raised her eyebrows. "Alright, _fine_. I care…just a little bit." Antonio bumped her shoulder with his. "I care about all you guys, alright?" She jerked her thumb over in Kevin's direction. "Besides, Mopey-Dick over here was weird. Excuse me for being used to Kevin the Ass."

"Thanks, Mel, I really appreciate it," Kevin said with a small laugh. Melody shrugged in reply, before looking at a spot over his shoulder. Kevin turned and saw Jaeger walking into the room with Azure beside him. "Azure? What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk to you," Azure said, glancing at Jaeger, before addressing the Rangers. "_All_ of you."

"What's going on?" Jayden asked, moving to sit down on the couch. He briefly glanced over at Melody. "Is something wrong with—"

"No, no, I'm not here to take Jaeger's place," Azure said, placing a hand on Jaeger's shoulder.

"I haven't been hanging around much lately, if you hadn't noticed," Jaeger spoke up, looking each of the Rangers in the eye. "I've been at home, in the Elemental World, talking to Lady Aurelian, or who Mel has known all this time as Aura. Aurelian has been trying to protect all of us, making sure that Seerrator and Xandred didn't have a way to get to her."

"How would they be able to do that?" Emily asked.

"Her dreams, _all_ of your dreams," Azure explained. "Terrorem…you could say he's like the Boogeyman, but way worse. Terrorem helps the Nighlok walk through people's dreams." She then turned towards Jayden. "That's also why Mother Nature visited you in _your _dreams. To give you a warning. To give you _all_ a warning."

"What's the warning?" Mike asked, sitting at full attention.

"To be careful of Serrator," Azure replied and Mike snorted. "I know, it's nothing new, but you don't know how dangerous he really is."

"You see, back in our fight against Dayu, when Terry was still here, Mel and I saved Mia by moving through the darkness," Jaeger explained, twisting his fingers together. His tail twitched back and forth behind him. "Up until recently, I didn't think Serrator was able to do that. It blew me away that he could."

"And that's why you freaked out," Mia said to Jaeger as more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, Mia," Jaeger replied with a nod. "After heading about Jayden's dream and seeing that with Serrator, I went in search for Azure and together we told Lady Aurelian and she agrees with us."

"Agrees with you on what?" Melody asked, looking back and forth between Jaeger and Azure, a worried look on her face. Antonio placed a hand on her shoulder. Jaeger shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"We think that Lady Aurelian's brother—Orion—we think that his soul is inside Serrator," Azure replied after a moment of silence.

She got more silence in reply.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry guys, I would've had this up yesterday but I've been taking exams all yesterday and today. But, I'm on summer break next week so that's more time for me to update faster! Hope you guys enjoyed this one.

I have a new poll in my profile, by the way.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	35. Chapter : Tension and Revelations

**.:Chapter Thirty-Five – Tension and Revelations:.**

* * *

"I'm sorry…what'd you say?" Mia asked, looking back and forth between the two guardians in front of her. "You think his—"

"Soul, yes," Jaeger replied with a nod, moving to sit down, cross legged on the spot. Azure hesitated before sitting down next to him. "Lady Aurelian hasn't heard from her brother for years. We can only assume that he's—"

"Dead," Jayden finished for him. "But, Serrator has to be hundreds of years old, if not older than that."

"Lady Aurelian and Orion aren't as old as you'd think," Jaeger commented with an amused look. "The thing with elementals…we don't really physically age—facially at least—like you humans do." He turned towards Jayden. "You saw Mother Nature, correct?"

"Yes," Jayden replied with a nod. He thought hard about it.

He couldn't deny that Mother Nature was a beautiful woman, and when he thought about it, she didn't look too old. There were some wrinkles in the corners of her eyes and around her mouth. If he had to guess, she was in her early to mid 50s. But to know that she was older than that, he was amazed.

"So, what, you have a Fountain of Youth in the Elemental World?" Mike asked, looking impressed. "Dude, that sounds sweet."

Azure let out a _mrow_ of laughter, instnalty catching everyone's attention. "No, we don't do anything special to stay young looking," Azure replied as her laughter died down. Her tail swished back and forth behind her. "Lady Aurelian is almost 45 years old. Orion would be 48."

"Do we know for sure that he's dead?" Mentor asked from where he was standing. He kept a tight grip on the bamboo stick in his hands.

"Whether he was killed or he was murdered, it doesn't matter," Jaeger said with a shake of his head. "It's the only possible explanation as to how he was able to move through the Darkness. No Nighlok can do that on his own no matter how powerful he is." His nose twitched for a moment. "And remember our first battle against him? With those purple balls of energy? Before Antonio saved us?"

The Rangers slowly nodded. They weren't going to forget in a hurry. Serrator was a whole new kind of Nighlok, one that had more power than anything the Rangers had fought before. He stopped them from facing off against the Spit Fangs with the strongest electric shock any of them have ever felt. And Jayden was attacked with one of Serrator's strongest attacks; the combination of fire an energy mixed together to create a strong attack. If it weren't for their suits, they probably would've been vaporized.

"The only person I've ever seen use attacks like that was Sir Orion," Jaeger replied. "And I've only ever seen him use it once in my life, when I was younger. I wasn't supposed to see it, but, he used it to torture someone he had been accusing of treason."

"Who was it?" Melody asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"His father," Jaeger replied, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "That was partially why he was kicked out of Concordia. It was no surprise to everyone that he loved having the power that he had."

"You see, with the power of Darkness, it can beat you down with how _warped_ your mind becomes," Azure commented, her lips twitching. "The Darkness feeds off every bad thought you have about yourself or about other people. It makes you feel worthless until you just give into it and become a former shell of yourself."

"Or you take the power and run with it," Jaeger continued the explanation. "You're strong, you're fast, you can do anything you want and no one can touch you, if you don't want them to." He tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You think you're the most powerful person in the world. But, that can drive you to the brink of insanity, making sure that everybody knows you're the best. You fight people because you can, because you want to show them that you won't back down and you _can't _back down because the voices in your head will keep pushing you until you practically kill yourself."

Or, you learn how to accept both; that you have strengths and weaknesses that make you as strong as you are," Azure said, motioning between herself and Jaeger. "You acknowledge that there are things you can't do, and maybe you'll never truly get over and that there are times where you take that pain and use it to your advantage." She then turned her gaze towards Melody. "So, what's holding you back?"

"Azure," Jaeger said in a warning tone, looking over at her out of the corner of his eye. "Not now."

"Well then when will be the perfect time?" Azure asked, baring her teeth, revealing sharp canines. "You can't expect her to sit back on what she has already accomplished. She has more power than this and you know it. It's your job to show her—"

"_Not now_," Jaeger said, a growl rumbling in his throat. He briefly closed his eyes relaxing. "It's different if you're from Igris or Aquare. If you control fire you have the habit of having a really firey temper, and it's not something you take lightly. You lose control so much faster. If your fire powers control you…you're like a walking talking Mt. Vesuvius."

Azure scratched the side of her jaw. "And if you're from Aquare, for example, let's just say you'd be really fortunate to have an ark lying around somewhere." She sighed. "The point is, one element isn't better or worse over another, they all have their faults. The element of Darkness just gets the worst rap because of how sinister it is."

"The point is, we're pretty sure that Orion's soul is in Serrator's body," Jaeger said, putting a hand to his forehead. "He doesn't always fight like a normal Nighlok. It's little differences, something that you wouldn't notice unless you know what you're looking for."

"How is it different?" Emily asked, looking around at the other Rangers. "Maybe if we can see it, then we know how to fight against it."

"Oh, I could teach you, no problem, but it won't be easy, which is why I asked Azure here," Jaeger commented, briefly placing his hand on the girl's shoulder. "But you won't know what it's like to fight against someone like Serrator without really having the full effect of facing off against someone like that."

Jayden cleared his throat, shifting in his seat, getting everyone's attention. "I've been talking to Mel about this briefly," he said and looked over at her and she nodded. "There's still the chance that we'd have to face Mel if she's fully possessed by her powers. I suggested to her that we start training to adapt to these challenges."

"So, in laymen's terms, you want us to fight Mel when she's wacked out? Powers and all?" Mike asked, his eyes widening.

Jayden slowly nodded. "Yes, that's what I think. But, with Azure and Jaeger here, if they agree to it, it could really help, especially with the possibility that Serrator does in fact have the soul of an elemental in him."

"Rangers, I never anticipated that things would be so hard for you," Mentor commented with a heavy sigh. "At least, not anymore harder than what your parents had to deal with. But, I'm confident that you can overcome everything that's thrown your way."

"This doesn't sound like something that's easy to do, Mentor," Mia said, running a hand over her face.

"We have to at least try," Kevin said to her, tossing his foldingzord back and forth between his hands. "We're Samurai, we don't ever give up. We can't give up." He was silent for a moment. "Even when our parents thought all was lost, they continued to fight until they were sure Xandred was gone." He opened his mouth to say more, but quickly closed it, glancing over at Jayden.

A muscle in the Red Ranger's jaw started to twitch, but he didn't say anything. Silence fell over the group of Rangers. Jayden's dad didn't make it through the final fight and they had more thrown on their plate than any of the past Rangers probably had in their lifetime. This probably made capturing the Bullzord look easy.

"When it all comes down to it, Jayden has the right idea," Azure said, looking at each of the Rangers with her deep blue eyes. "You all need to be ready and I think this is the only way to really prepare yourself for it." She then looked over at Jaeger for a moment before addressing both him and Melody. "I have plans for the two of you."

"That sounds promising," Melody commented, raising her eyebrows.

Azure made a face at her. "It's not anything to take lightly," she said in a grave tone. "I'm trying to help you. I know you and Jaeger have a tight bond. Notice how I'm not trying to edge my way between you two." Melody briefly looked towards the ceiling but didn't say anything. "Rangers, this is no joke. Master Xandred is allowing Serrator to send out his own monster friends to face you guys; like Gryphonator and Terrorem for example."

"Well, that makes a lot of sense," Antonio commented, speaking up for the first time. He ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking tired. "Those two…they didn't seem like your normal Nighlok to me."

"They are part Nighlok, but they're not your average Nighlok," Azure replied. "They're half Nighlok and half pure Darkness. A dangerous combination, but one you can easily beat if you know what you're doing."

"Have you talked to Lady Aurelian lately?" Jaeger asked, turning towards Melody.

"No," Melody replied, shaking her head. "Not for a while."

"It's not a coincidence that the two of you have been talking to Lady Aurelian and Mother Nature," Jaeger said to Melody and to Jayden. "They've always been looking out for you, but haven't shown their faces until they needed to. You've _all_ been protected by them. But, they can't protect you for that much longer."

"Mother Nature told Jayden that we'd be coming into power that isn't our norm," Antonio said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Do you know what that is?"

"No," Azure replied with a shake of her head. "But, you can trust Mother Nature. If she says you're going to come into power, you're going to come into power." She looked each Ranger in the eye. "You have to trust that once the power comes to you, you'll recognize it, and be open to using it." She looked over at Jaeger, who silently nodded.

"Well, Kevin, we waited for you to get home before we started dinner," Mentor said, turning towards the Blue Ranger. "Given the recent news, I think pizza would be the easiest to take care of." Mike silently punched the air with his fists.

"Mel, can I talk to you for a minute?" Jaeger asked as the other Rangers got up from their seats. Melody nodded and followed Jaeger and Azure out onto the back porch. Melody crossed her arms over her chest, glancing at Azure. "She's not lying you know, when she says she's not taking over for me."

"I believe her," Melody replied shortly, giving a shrug. "I just haven't forgotten that you never once told me that she _could_ take your place." Jaeger blinked. "If you had told me that in the first place, I would've done whatever it was to make sure you'd keep your spot."

"It's not as easy as you think it is," Jaeger said, closing his eyes. He let out a heavy sigh, scratching the inside of his ear."Listen, Mel, the only thing I really want you to worry about right now is how you're going to fight in each fight from here on out."

"I haven't felt like my powers were going to take me over," Melody said, her tough exterior dropping and in place was a curious and worried look. "My Power Reader hasn't—"

"Which is odd considering how much of your more powerful attacks you've been using lately, but it's good that it hasn't," Jaeger said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Don't you see? Terrorem is back and he can do anything to make you let your guard down."

"If Serrator wants, he can take your worst memory and use it against you," Azure added. Her eyes narrowed slightly when a pained look briefly crossed Melody's face. "What?"

"Trini," Melody said, letting out a heavy sigh before looking her in the eye. "It's Trini alright. She's the reason why I haven't been…she's the reason why. And Jaeger knows it, which is why he hasn't been pushing me." She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "It's my fault."

"No, Mel, it's not," Jaeger replied with a shake of his head. "I've seen other guardians in worse predicaments and they still pulled through. But, this is different. We've been together for three years. I've seen you at your worst, I know how hard it's been for you. I'd be a dick if I continued to push you to doing something you weren't ready to do."

"Look, you're both in the wrong," Azure said, putting her hands up. "But, we can figure this out. You need to be able to use your pain in fights, to truly weild the Darkness. Xandred, Serrator, Octraroo, they're all trying to knock you Rangers out to get to Jayden, especially _you _first." She looked back and forth between the two of them before continuing. "Terrorem can do a number of dreadful things to you to _all _of you. But, Serrator is, arguably, the most powerful Nighlok in this world right now. Only because Xandred hasn't left the Netherworld."

Melody was silent for a moment, looking off into the distance before turning back to face the two of them. I'm willing to take that chance," she answered decisively.

"Then at least promise me," Jaeger said quietly, "that you'll stop blamning yourself for what happened to Trini."

"Please don't ask me that—" Melody said, shaking her head.

"Promise me, Mel," Jaeger all but snapped at her, teeth bared, sharp teeth showing as his eyes turned into slits. "Promise. Me."

"I can't, J," Melody replied, flinching slightly. She let out an odd laugh. "I can't promise you something I can't keep. I'd be lying to you."

Jaeger's facial expression softened and the three of them were silent for a while. "It's my job to take care of you," he said, a pained expression crossing his face. "Please, don't make this any harder for me."

"You've stuck around for three years, if I made anything hard for you it was right after…it happened," Melody pointed out, a weird smile on her face. "And yet you stuck around then. I can only hope that you'll stay beside me now. And I've always counted on you for that."

"I hate it when you do that," Jaeger commented, tapping his chin with his fingers. "But, I'll push you as far as you want me to. But, Jayden has the right idea of wanting all of them to fight you as if you're possessed by your powers."

"I know she can fake it, but there's a difference between fighting someone who's _pretending_ to be possessed and actually being possessed," Azure said, looking as if she wanted to roll her eye. Melody's upper lipcurled, but she didn't say anything. "It's really important that she learns how to control her actions while being under the influence of her powers. And the sooner the better."

"How long is the process?" Melody askd.

"As long as it takes," Jaeger replied, his lips twitching. "As long as it takes. But if you're sure you want to do this, then I'll help you. But we need to be careful. I don't want to lose you."

"Don't worry," Melody replied, all trace of amusement gone.

..

.

"Hey, Antonio." Antonio looked up from his fishing pole, which he was threading fishing line through. "Have you seen Jayden?"

"Um, yeah, I think he's taking a shower," Antonio replied, jerking his thumb back in the direction of the hall. "I think he's almost done if you—"

"No," Melody said, interrupting him. Antonio blinked in surprise before arching an eyebrow. "No, that's ok. I'll just wait." She made a clicking sound with her tongue nad nodded. "Yeah."

_What the—? _Antonio peered at her as she started to rock back and forth on her heels a weird look on her face. "Are you feeling ok?" he asked her. "You're acting strange. Stranger than usual, anyway."

"I'm great," Melody replied clapping her hands together once. "Fine. Super even. Pun intended."

"Now, I _know _you're acting weird," Antonio commented. "Normally that would've resulted in a sarcastic comment or a pillow to the face or something." He pointed his fishing rod at her. "Don't think I didn't notice that you didn't remove my handfrom your shoulder, chica."

"So you're comforting to be around," Melody replied as if it wasn't the weirdest thing on the planet.

"I won't forget that in a hurry," Antonio said with a grin.

Melody started walking backwards. "I'm going to go…train or…something…that's not here." She then turned on her heels and walked away.

"Ok?" Antonio replied slowly, watching her leave before shaking his had.

Things have been weird in the house and everyone was starting to feel it and deal with it in different ways. Fishing was always a way to keep him calm, and despite getting in trouble for not hearing a call due to his loud music, he wasn't immune to things that were going on in the house. Mike and Emily dealt with things by playing around and having fun while training. Kevin and Mia talked things out, and he and Mel have been getting closer. He flirted with her and she turned him down.

Jayden has done a good job at opening up to everybody over the time they've spent in the house, mainly himself and Melody. Antonio often wondered if that was due to the fact that they both had hard pasts and were used to being by themselves. Two loners understand each other, after all. But even after all of his opening up there was something that would make him clam up again, and he could see that the Red Ranger was closing himself off again.

And who was he to stand by and watch his best friend close himself off? Antonio sighed, setting his fishing pole down before making his way into his friend's room, knocking on the doorframe when he saw that Jaydenwas sitting on his bed, towel drying his hair.

"What's wrong?" Jayden asked, lifting the towel from his head to look over at his friend.

"I should be asking you that, amigo," Antonio replied, strolling into the room, moving to sit in front of him on the floor. "What's going on with you?"

"Meaning?" Jayden asked, draping the towel around his shoulders.

"I don't think I've ever seen you hesitate," Antonio replied and Jayden gave him a curious look. "In that last battle, you hesitated." Jayden's curious look turned into a sharp one. "I'm just saying…you didn't look too keen to form the Gigazord. Kevin had to start the sequence for you. You've been out of sorts all day."

"You don't get it," Jayden said, shaking his head. He got up, tossing his towel onto his bed as he crossed the room to his dresser, pulling out a drawer to look for a shirt.

"So help me get it," Antonio replied. Jayden pulled his t-shirt on over his head before his made his way over to the window. The Red Ranger let out a sigh through his nose. "The Gigazord helped us out in battle, we needed it."

"I'm not doubting that," Jayden replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "We were taking a big risk with the Gigazord. We didn't know how to combine it—"

"But, Kevin figured it out," Antonio said.

"—and I don't know if we should be taking that same risk again with anything else that we could possibly stumble across," Jayden finished as if Antonio hadn't said anything. "My dad…he never needed to use the Gigazord—"

"But, we do," Antonio said quietly. "You heard Mentor. We're not fighting the same fight that your parents did and you know that. This is all different now that—"

"Now that Azure and Jaeger and Mel are involved," Jayden said.

"Which wouldn't have happened if you didn't go looking for her to help you out," Antonio replied. "You know that the Samuraizer and her foldingzord belong to her family. You would've had to give it to her at some point." He was silent for a moment. "Don't tell me you're regretting allowing her back on the team, hell even asking her to join to begin with."

"She's not a real Samurai—"

"And neither am I," Antonio reminded him. "Look, Jayden, I know you're out to keep us all safe. I know you hate how we put our lives in danger for you, but we wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for every single person on this team and you know it."

Jayden fell silent, a thoughtful look on his face. Antonio bowed his head for a moment before looking back at his old friend. It was times like this where Antonio found it a little hard to believe they were friends when they were kids. Jayden had to grow up so quickly with taking on the role of the Red Ranger and all Antonio wanted to do was joke around.

But once he learned about Jayden being a Samurai Ranger, he just knew that he was meant to meet Jayden and to be a Samurai as well. And that was why it was so hard for him to just sit and watch himself be pushed away. He was the first person outside of Jayden's family that knew about his life and about his dad.

Antonio wondered if his own dad would be proud of what he was doing. He didn't actually tell him what he was doing, just that he was taking his fishing and cooking skills to a whole new level. He didn't like lying to his father as they were really close, but he knew that it was the only way he could leave to make his way back to Panorama and to show Jayden that he managed to do what they had promised.

"No one prepared me for this," Jayden said, turning away from the window to face Antonio again. "Through all my years of training, I never once stopped to think, 'What if this doesn't work?' or 'What if I'm not ready'?" He trailed off, shaking his head.

"You put too much pressure on yourself," Antonio said with a shake of his head. "We're a team, Jayden. T-E-A-M—"

"I know how to spell," Jayden muttered.

"Do you know the definition of the word?" Antonio asked, raising his eyebrows. Jayden rolled his eyes. "We've told you time and time again that we chose to follow you into battle. We trust that you'll make good decisions. And even when things doing go as we plannd it, we'll still stand behind you."

A pained expression crossed Jayden's face as he briefly closed his eyes. "You don't know," he whispered, shaking his head. "It's not that simple, Antonio. It never has been and it never will be." He looked up when there was a knock at the door and Mia gave the two of them a small smile.

"Pizza's here," she said before leaving the room.

"Thanks, Mia," Jayden replied with nod, giving her a brief smile. He then turned towards Antonio. "In our next few training sessions, especially if we're sparring against Jaeger, Azure, and Mel, I'm going to have you alternate between a shinai and your normal Barracuda Blade so you don't lose muscle memory on your backhanded grip." He then briefly glanced at Antonio's arm. "How's your wrist."

"Golden," Antonio replied, rotating his wrist back and forth. "There's twinges here and there, and sometimes my arm just feels funny, but it's good."

"Good," Jayden replied with a nod. "I haven't forgotten that I owe Mel a horseback riding lesson. We could all use that time to learn how to fight while riding one. We were sloppy against General Gut."

"Riight," Antonio replied, slowly nodding. Jayden's eyes narrowed slightly. "What?" Antonio got to his feet, brushing off the seat of his pants.

"Nothing," Jayden replied after a moment of silence. "Let's go eat."

* * *

The next day, Jayden spent every minute since he woke up, scouring through the archives, researching at length everything he could possibly find about what bits and pieces of arsenal his father's old team used. Maybe there would be a hint as to what kind of power they could be using for themselves. Jaeger and Azure's words didn't sit well with him. It just made him even more anxious about making sure they would be able to finish his mission.

_"I brought you here to warn you about what it is that you will face in the near future, with every good thing that arises, be aware that there will be something around that will try and force you two steps back."_

"If only she could tell me what it was exactly that was holding us back," Jayden whispered to himself as he flipped through the pages of one of the old, worn, leather bound books. His eyes skimmed back and forth across the pages, looking for something, anything, before he flipped to the next page. "There's too much at stake now."

He lifted his head, letting out a sigh when he saw how beautiful of a day it was outside. But, he knew how quickly that could change. The cloud could turn dark with smoke as fire billowed through the town, burning down buildings that got in Xandred's way. He saw all the debris, and he could hear the distant cries of people who were in pain, cries over people who were killed. Like his dad.

He blinked, shaking his head, taking in a deep breath. _Concentrate, Jayden, concentrate,_ he coached himself. As he got back to reading, the Gap Sensor went off, causing him to jump at the sudden noise. hE looked around for a moment before jumping out of his chair, hurrying into the living room. He heard thundering footsteps and soon his team were standing around him.

_"It's your friends who make you fight as hard as you can not who allow you to hold yourself back. You can't do this alone as I'm sure you know. So why do you keep yourself in that mindset?"_

"Nighlok attack down by the factories," Mentor announced. "Hurry, Rangers."

"You've got it, Ji," Jayden replied, before turning and sprinting out of the living room, headed towards the Shiba Family car.

"_Why do you try and be alone? Is it really that bad to have others care for you and to care for others yourself?"_

_"Well, Mother Nature," Jayden said under his breath as he jumped into the driver's seat, "it looks lik I'm really going to have to see how much they trust me. I don't know how they'll feel later on."_

_.._

_._

As the Rangers ran upon the factories, factory workers rushed past them screaming in terror, dropping dollies, buckets, and tools as they went. Spotting the Nighlok staring down a couple of men who scrambled along the ground, trying to escape, Jayden got it's attention with a loud yell.

"Your fun and games are over, Nighlok," Jayden said as he rested his Spin Sword on his shoulder as he and the other Rangers slowly walked towards it. Jayden blinked. He could almost swear he saw it smiling at him.

"You must be the Samurai Rangers," the Nighlok said, pointing a bony finger at them.

"What was your first clue, Dry Bones?" Emily called over to the Nighlok, putting a hand to her hip.

"If you're just another Nighlok looking for trouble, you can do us a favor and clear out now," Kevin commanded, pointing the tip of his Spin Sword at the Nighlok.

"And save us the trouble of humiliating you by whipping your ass," Mike added.

The Nighlok chuckled. "Oh Rangers, Rangers, Rangers," the Nighlok taunted, stepping closer to them. "I'm not your average Nighlok. I'm Duplicator. I work for Serrator and I'm the coolest and the best in the biz."

"Serrator?" Kevin repeated. "What is he up to this time?"

"Nothing good, that's what," Mia replied for him. "Everyone keep your guard up. You heard what Azure said about him."

"Nah, this guy's all Nighlok," Jaeger commented with a twitch of his eyebrow. "Which means it'll be easier to take him down."

"You Ragners talk tough, but do you really have the power to back it up?" Duplicator asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll handle Mr. Cool, here," Mike replied. He then let out a loud shout as he ran towards the Nighlok. "Time for me to cool your jets." He swung his Spin Sword forward, and there was a loud _clang _as it connected with Duplicator's sword.

"You're just jealous because Im cooler than you," Duplicator said with a laugh as he continued to block Mike's attacks. "I mean, you _are _only a Ranger." He then let out a loud laugh, as he kicked Mike in the stomach, causing the Green Ranger to double over in pain. Wheezing, Mike straightened and sliced his Spin Sword through the Nighlok.

"Oh, ouch," Duplicator said in mock hurt as he stumbled away from Mike as the other Rangers rushed over.

"There's something wrong," Mike said, catching his breath. "It was like…my sword went through him. Not even…a scratch."

"We'll just see about that," Keving said, summoning his weapon. "Hydro Bow!" Kevin pulled back and released the plunger to his blue weapon and watched as blue arrows of energy flew out at the Nighlok, striking him in the chest.

The Rangers gasped as they watched the Nighlok vanish in front of their eyes in a puff of smoke. He then reappeared on a metal walkway above him before disappearing again, appearing behind them, laughing the whole while. "Keep your guard up," Jayden advised, slowly spinning in a circle, looking for any sign of the Nighlok. "This guy is fast. I guess this is one of the Nighlock's special abilities."

"This isn't going to be easy," Emily commented, shaking her head back and forth. "This is exactly like Dreadhead. We couldn't hit him either."

"Or Artismole, but without the paint," Melody said to Jaeger who gave a nod in agreement as his eyes darted around.

"Oh please! I'm the coolest guy around," Duplicator called out from above them. "There's more to me than meets the eye." He laughed evilly as his eyes flashd a bright blue. Copy after copy of Duplicator appeared around them before charging towards the Rangers, engaging them in a rough battle.

"These guys are fast," Jayden said, swinging his Spin Sword around him. He didn't have a strategy, just cut through anything that was around him. But, his sword slid through them like a hot knife in butter. They didn't seem to have any affect on the copies of the Nighlok at all. _What is going on here? _"Stay sharp guys. Spin Sword; Fire Smasher!"

"Which one's the real one, though" Antonio asked as he rushed past Jayden, his hands blurring as he cut through each of the Nighlok, watching as they disappeared from in front of him.

"We'll find it, don't give up," Jayden replied. He grunted as he stumbled forward, feeling a blow to his back. He turned around to see one Duplicator left, but a cracking sound split the air before he could move. _Drying out. Good_.

"You Rangers got lucky, I'm drying out!" the Nighlok told them. "Next time, don't expect me to be so easy on you!" With that, he disappeared into a Gap. Mia and the others all gathered in the street.

"That is _so _not cool," Mike said, shaking his head, kicking at the ground. "Seriously."

"Let's regroup," Jayden said, sliding his Spin Sword back into its sheath. "Mentor might know something about this Nighlok. Or maybe it's in the archives or something." He looked around, making sure they were all clear before powering down, rubbing at the spot on his back. "Come on, let's go. That Nighlok won't be returning anytime soon."

"Why didn't Azure join us in the fight?" Kevin asked as the Rangers walked back to the car.

"Because I told her to stay behind," Melody replied coolly. "She may be Jaeger's replacement, but she hasn't replaced him, yet. She still has to listen to what I tell her."

"But, if she's not your guardian—"

"No, she's right," Jaeger replied in a low tone. "Despite not being an acting guardian. She's my understudy of sorts; having still been assigned to Mel. She has to listen to her." He then turned towards Jayden. "As I said, Duplicator is not one of Serrator's creations entirely. It should be fairly easy to defeat him."

"Yeah, like it was easy just now?" Jayden replied, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Rangers. We've still got a long way to go in this fight." They made it to the car and he climbed into the driver's seat. The car ride home was silent. Not that Jayden really need anything else to take his mind off of everything else.

As they got into the Shiba House, they were surprised to find Cody sitting in the living room, waiting for them. "Cody," Jayden said, blinking in surprise. He looked over at Mentor who gae a brief nod.

"Cody," Mia said with a smile as the girls moved forward to give him a hug. "It's great to see you again."

"You didn't run away this time, did you?" Melody asked. Cody gave her a sheepish grin and she shook her head, although she had an amused smile on her face. "So, what brings you by?"

"My dad knows I was planning on coming, just now when I was going to leave," Cody quickly replied as he reached for the bag that was hanging off of his shoulder. "He wanted to come too, to see how Antonio was doing, but he got a client that came in and…I just kind of took off." He nodded over to Azure, who was sitting on the couch in her cat form, licking a forepaw and running it over his face. "Nice cat."

"Thanks," Melody and Jaeger muttered in unison.

"Cody," Mentor said quietly. "Tell them why you're here."

"The last time I saw you Rangers, Mel asked me an interesting question," Cody said as he pulled a worn out book out of his bag. He removed the bag from his shoulder and dropped it to the ground before making his way over to the table, setting the book down. "I've heard it mentioned before, but thought it was lost like the other zords. There's a possibility it's around but—"

"Cody, what exactly are we talking about, here?" Kevin asked, placing a hand on the small boy's shoulder. Cody grinned, flipping the book open to the marked page as the Rangers crowded around him to get a good look.

"I'm talking about this," Cody replied, jabbing his finger at the drawing that took up the two pages in front of him. "The Black Pantherzord."

"J_ust know that more power will soon be in your grasp. It won't be in a way that you're used to, but accept it as the help you need. I can only help you Rangers protect this Earth for so long."_

_This can't be what she was talking about_, Jayden thought as he leaned closed to get a good look at the drawing. It indeed was of another zord, but one he hadn't ever heard of in his life. He hadn't even seen it in the archives as he was looking through them in the morning. He looked up at Mentor, locking eyes with him and he nodded.

"Cody, do you know where this zord is?" Jayden asked the small boy.

"No," Cody replied with a shake of his head. "But, ever since I've found out about it, I've been looking for it. It's definitely in Panorama City, though. There have been some reports of what people think is a mountain lion in the woods on the outskirts of the city." He reached into his bag for a second time and pulled out a sheet of paper, unfolding it to show a map of the city with black dots on it. "The dots indicate each place it's been sighted."

Keving gasped. "Look," he said, pointing at the map. Everyone moved closer. "It makes a shape." He slowly traced his finger over the dots. Jayden's eyes widened slightly as it became clear to him.

"The Shiba Crest," he whispered. Cody reached into the bag for a third time and grabbed a pen. He set the map down onto the table and traced over the path that Kevin indicated. "But, it's not finished." He pointed at the last point where the inner squar of the crest would come together. "That must be the next place it'll be sightened." His finger rested on the map. "Panorama Canyon."

* * *

**A/N: **You'll see Bulk and Spike reappear in the next chapter and they'll be seen in the next couple of chapters, but become more important near the end of the fic. I hope you guys liked this one.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	36. Chapter 36: Chin Up, Charge the Mountain

**.:Chapter Thirty-Six – Chin Up, Charge the Mountain:.**

* * *

"Looks like we have a long hike ahead of us," Jayden commented as he stared at the map. "It's a good half hour drive just to get to the base of Panorama Canyon and we don't actually know _where _the Pantherzord is."

"Or if it even exists," Azure commented, turning into her human form. Cody stared at her, wide eyed for a moment. "How are you sure that what people have seen is actually the Pantherzord? I mean, they might've thought it was a mountain lion or something."

"As far south as Panorama?" Kevin asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It could've also been a cougar," Azure replied with a hiss, briefly looking over at him. "My point is that I don't suggest you just go running off to the mountains leaving the city unprotected."

"It won't be unprotected," Melody replied, giving her an odd smile. "Because _you'll _be staying here."

"Look, I know you're not too happy that I could possibly be taking his place," Azure said, her eyes turning into slits, jerking her thumb over to Jaeger, who merely made a hissing sound. "But I'm also assigned to you, whether you like it or not!"

"What I'd _like_ is for you to do is—"

"Stop," Jayden said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know I don't have command over either of you, but I suggest both Azure _and _Jaeger stay behind with Cody."

"What?" Cody asked, his smile slowly fading. "No, I can come with you." He looked each Ranger in the eye. "I won't get in your way, I promise."

"Cody, we appreciate you coming here to tell us about the zord," Mia said to the small boy, "but, this might be too dangerous for you."

"I can take care of myself, I promise," Cody said, his frown deepening. "I have a whole bunch of these things that I made that I want to try out just in case. I was hoping that you guys would want to use them, too." He rubbed his arm. "I'm also working on this other thing for you guys. I think it would come in handy."

"Cody, I don't think you understand how dangerous this is," Kevin said, crossing his arms over his chest. "This isn't a game. It's dangerous; it's real life. The weapons in our arsenal are powerful enough to defeat each threat as they come through a gap."

"Yeah, dude, it's not something we should risk," Mike said, putting a hand on Cody's shoulder.

"And we can't really leave, that Nighlok is still out there," Emily said, turning towards Jayden. "With all the copies it can make of itself, who knows what it could do with the city."

"What do you think, Mel?" Antonio asked, turning towards the Purple Ranger.

"I think," Melody slowly replied, a thoughtful look on her face, "that you're underestimating what Cody can do." Cody brightened, giving her a smile. "Remember, his family has been guarding the Bullzord for years, he knows what kind of danger he could be facing day in and day out." She tapped her chin with her finger. "If Cody didn't raise the Bullzord, what's to say that the Nighlok wouldn't have found it on their own and tampered with it? He could help us out." She then pointed a finger at him. "As long as you get your dad's permission."

"I will, I can get it," Cody replied. He then turned towards Jayden. "Please? When you were at my house…I told you had I plenty of ideas that I could help you with." He chewed his bottom lip slightly. "I'll do everything you tell me. I won't get in your way. Honest. I can keep up."

Jayden briefly closed his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh before turning towards Mentor. But, Mentor merely looked back at him and looked away. It was obvious that he was on his own in this decision. He knew at one point or another he wouldn't always have Mentor there with all of the answers, but everything was changing so quickly. He thought the Pantherzord was lost forever, much like the Tigerzord and Swordfish Zord.

_This might be the leg up we're looking for_, Jayden thought, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. _We still have a few Nighlok hanging out in the Netherworld and who knows when Serrator will show up again. Cody is the only one who was able to track the zord, and without him, we wouldn't have Shogun Mode_. He looked over at the other Rangers, knowing that they were waiting for his call on the situation. _If he gets hurt, it'll be my fault. He does seem prepared for the risk, just like the other Rangers._

"Jay?" Antonio asked quietly.

Jayden blinked before lifting his head, nodding over at Cody. "Get your dad on the phone," he said to him and then turned to the other Rangers. "Pack warmly; it gets pretty cold in the mountains. We might be out all night."

"Thank you," Cody said with a grin. "I really appreciate it, Jayden."

"Yeah, there's just one problem," Mike said, putting his hand in the air. "I don't do hiking. Or camping."

"So, basically, anything away from a TV," Kevin said with a roll of his eyes. "Grow up, Mike."

"No, seriously, I'm cursed whenever I got hiking," Mike said, his eyes widening, putting his hands up defensively. "One time, I jumped into a leech-infested lake. I got poison ivy in my eye another time. Last time, I slipped in mud and badly sprained my ankle. Therefore, I hate hiking."

"Oh stop, it'll be fine," Emily reassured him, patting his arm. "I've gone camping loads of times and nothing ever happened to me." She gave him a grin. "I promise I'll help you over every boulder and every creek."

"This isn't something to joke about, Em," Mike said with a shake of his head. "I swear to god, I'll fall off the mountain and bring you all down with me."

"That's a comfort," Melody commented.

Mike moved to sit down on the ottoman nearest him, and slipped off the edge, smacking the floor with the back of his head. Emily gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. Mia laughed quietly and Kevin blinked in amusement.

"Ow," Mike groaned, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up. "See? I should stay home! I'd rather give you guys some extra time up on the mountain and kick some Mooger butt."

"Azure and I can keep patrol of the city, cover more ground," Jaeger said, putting a hand to his chest. "If you think the Pantherzord is in Panorama Canyon, you should at least try and find it." He looked over at Jayden. "While you're gone we can figure out how we could help with training, and we'll contact you the minute something happens here."

"I haven't seen Azure fight, but given the fact that she's had to train to be my guardian, I'm sure the two of them can work well together to keep this place safe," Melody said.

Jayden blinked in surprise. Ever since Azure had gotten to the Shiba House, there was tension between the two girls, and tension that was well deserved. He didn't know the extent of Melody and Jaeger's friendship or relationship or whatever it was, but he could see that the two of them were really close. He didn't know how she fought either, but after seeing how Jaeger could hold his own in a fight, he was confident that the two of them could hold down the fort long enough until they got back.

"I've trained long and hard over the years to keep my potential ward safe," Azure said, turning to Jayden, giving a bow. "I can assure you that I'll use everything that I've learned to keep the citizens of Panorama safe until your return."

"Ok," Jayden replied with a nod. "Rangers, start packing. We don't have a lot of time before the sun starts to set and we want to get as high up Panorama Canyon as we can." The Rangers immediately hurried to their rooms to do as they were asked as Cody moved to the kitchen to call his dad."Mentor, I feel like everything's falling apart."

"How do you mean?" Mentor asked as Jayden slowly sat down on top of an ottoman.

"Things just seem to be out of my control," Jayden replied, resting his elbows on his knees. "It's not like how I remembered it to be when my dad was still around."

"No one said this was going to be easy, Jayden," Mentor replied, sitting down opposite of Jayden. "I've been preparing you Rangers as best I can for whatever the Nighloks throw your way."

"You can be prepared for everything and still not be prepared enough," Jaeger added, briefly glancing over at Azure. "We don't know how everything is going to go at every minute of every day. We just do the best that we can with what we're taught. Even I've made a bunch of mistakes with how I've been helping—" he looked over at Azure again, "—or in this case, _not _helping Mel."

"Jayden, you've been doing a great job as a leader," Azure said to him. "With everything you've been able to accomplish, you've stopped both our worlds from falling into turmoil. It may not seem like a lot, but it's enough."

"I've never seen you like this before; doubting your abilities," Mentor said with a frown.

Jayden never felt like this either. He couldn't put his finger on what it was that was bothering him. He felt like he was losing his edge or that something in his life was missing. He could easily chalk it up to his dad not being there, but he had never been this far in a funk before. Yes, he was thinking of his dad more and more lately and it had been distracting him, but when it all came down to it, he still had his head in the game whenever a Nighlok came to terrorize the town.

"I feel like every time something is going great for us, something has to come around and make everything I've worked hard for crumble," Jayden replied. Mentor raised his eyebrows, looking away for a moment. "What?"

"Maybe that's your problem," Mentor commented quietly, "you're still thinking for yourself and not for the team."

"But, _I'm _the one that has the responsibility of sealing Master Xandred away with the Sealing Symbol," Jayden replied. He knew he was sounding like a self-entitled brat, but he couldn't help it. When it all came down to it, everything was riding on him. Master Xandred wasn't calling out, "_Samurai Rangers, Samurai Rangers_." He was specifically singling _him_ out as the leader.

"And it's the Rangers' duty to keep you safe until you get the chance to use the Sealing Symbol against Master Xandred," Mentor reminded him. "Calling the Rangers here was easy, but getting them work as a team is another story. And you've paved the way for the Rangers; leading them as the successful team that you are. I've seen you grow over the time you've all spent here, becoming closer as friends, as a team, and as a family."

_Family_, Jayden thought with a short laugh. It wasn't because it was a funny thought nor because he didn't believe it. Just that he didn't realize it.

He never thought about it that way. He couldn't deny that he had become more open to the Rangers while they had been in the house. All he cared about was training, training, and more training and now he made sure the Rangers had time to have fun and gave them days off. He found himself joking around with them more and he tagged along with Antonio on fishing trips every now and then. He had grown to see his teammates not just as his teammates but as his brothers and sisters, people he could rely on both on the battlefield and off.

"Everything is just happening all at one time, it's like we can't catch a break," Jayden commented. He then got to his feet. "I guess it's a good thing we're getting the Pantherzord, then." He nodded over to Jaeger and Azure. "Thank you for agreeing to stay behind."

"You're welcome," Jaeger said as he and Azure bowed.

"Dad said I can go with you guys," Cody said with a smile as he hurried in from the kitchen. "I just have to head home to pack my stuff." He hurried over to the table and started shoving everything back into his bag. "Just wait until you see all the things I have." He then turned towards Jayden, offering him his hand. Jayden placed his hand in the younger's boys and blinked in surprise when Cody shook it hard. "I can't thank you enough."

"Relax, Cody," Jayden said, laughing a little bit. "Let me get my car keys and I'll drive you back home."

"Oh, that's ok, I can walk," Cody said with a shake of his head. "I've done it before."

"Yes, I know," Jayden replied with a small smile. "But, if you're going to be hiking with us, I'd rather you save as much of your energy as possible." He motioned for Cody to sit and wait for him before he turned and made his way through the halls of the house and into his room. "Cody's coming with us."

"Oh, cool," Melody said with a smile from where she was sitting on the floor, lacing a pair of shoes.

"Do you really think he's going to be able to help us out?" Jayden asked as he grabbed his car keys off of his dresser before heading to the closet, pushing his hanging clothes aside to grab his bag. "I mean, he is just a kid. I just worry that he's biting off more than he can chew."

"I can't tell you how many times my brothers helped us Rangers out when we were in a tight spot," Melody commented, stopping what she was doing. "And they were around Cody's age at the time." She peered closely at him. "Are you ok? You've been kind of out of it lately."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jayden replied, quickly giving her a smile over his shoulder. He cleared his throat as he turned around to face her. "I just hope that Nighlok doesn't turn up while we're still—"

"Is that the only thing that's on your mind right now?" Melody interrupted him, giving him an odd look. "The Nighlok?" She shook her head back and forth.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, you're just always this way," Melody replied with as shrug. Jayden raised his eyebrows. "You're always…aloof. I mean one minute you'd be joking and laughing with Mike or Antonio, and the next you're distant to everyone. You seem hushed and thoughtful but in a way that pushes the other Rangers away unless they want to talk to you about something Samurai related." She pressed her lips together. "You push away people and things you don't understand."

"Really," Jayden said as more of a statement then a question. His eyebrows knitted together."Is that what you really think of me?" His eyes widened slightly. "Forget I asked that."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Melody replied with a shrug, "but no, that's not what I think about you. I think you're a great leader and a great friend. You always keep us going whenever we think things are too tough, you're supportive, loyal, dependable, you don't judge our thoughts or opinions even if you don't agree with them and you never back down from a fight."

Jayden was silent for a moment. He did have to admit that he did focus a lot on the Nighlok and Master Xandred, but that was how he was raised. If they knew the truth about him, they'd get why he acted the way he did. But, they wouldn't think of him the same way. At least, he was worried that they wouldn't. They'd be hurt for sure. But, she was different.

While the other Rangers seemed to tip-toe around him at first, following his every move, wanting to do everything they could to get his approval, she didn't. She walked into the Shiba House and treated him like she treated everyone else by being a friendly, charming, outgoing, and generally irritating teenager who could also show a caring side and give good advice. However, she knew her limits and worked hard at everything she wasn't great at and she quickly improved during her training because of it. But he quickly found that her casual manner allowed everyone, including himself, to relax around her and to be themselves. Just by being herself, she had wordlessly told him that everything would be OK, and that there was much more to him than being the Red Ranger's son and the head of the Shiba Clan and that someone noticed that.

He didn't know when things had changed between them but he could tell things had changed between them. When she had first entered the house, she was a little cocky because of her past as a Ranger, but was also curious and self-conscious about everything Samurai related. He was driven to just focus on the mission and nothing else, being a little short tempered when things didn't work out the way he wanted, and resorting to the thought that he could do everything better by himself.

Mel had changed to admitting (sort of) when things were too hard on her, focusing on talking her friends off the edge by giving them advice whenever there was something bothering them, and he learned how to work as a team and thought about how they were dealing with living away from their homes and families. They were all getting closer with each other and he found that he valued her thoughts and opinions on things that he was having trouble sorting out. He didn't know when that had changed either, but he liked that she was there to talk to.

"I'm just saying that if you keep distancing yourself and thinking that everything is going to shit, everything will go to shit," Melody said, filling in the silence. A kind of sad look crossed her face. "Trust me, I've been there. It sucks up one side and down the other. You're being too aggro on yourself. Granted, I do get _why_. Just remember that we're all here to help you." She gave him a pointed look when he didn't answer. "Do you think I just say this for my health?"

"No," Jayden replied, shaking his head.

"So don't doubt me, Jay," Melody said with a small laugh. "Let's face it...I can't pretend that I'm not interested in the things that make you who you are. Anything you would tell me, I'll listen."

"Yeah…thanks," Jayden replied. "You _do_ give good advice."

"Hey, it's part of my charm," Melody replied and let out a very un-Melody like giggle. A pained expression quickly passed over her face before it went neutral. "Uh, d-don't you have to take Cody over to his house?"

"Right, yeah," Jayden replied with a nod. "Tell the others I'll be back soon." He then turned and made his way out of the room. _What just happened?_

* * *

After driving Cody to his house to get the younger boy to pack for the hiking trip, as well as to get some medical supplies from Kale, the Rangers were soon on their way up Panorama Canyon.

"This is too difficult," Mike groaned, tilting his head back to growl at the sky. He suddenly felt a hand grip the back of his head, shoving it forward. Mike turned his head and stuck his tongue out at Kevin. "This is torture."

"…We've barely been walking for fifteen minutes, Mike," Cody commented, adjusting the bag on his back with one hand, the map of Panorama city in the other. He craned his neck to look up at the mountains above them. "If I had to guess, we have about three hours left, but we could run into the Pantherzord before then."

"Relax, Mike, this will go by so quickly," Mia said to the Green Ranger. "And if anyone gets hungry I made some snacks that will bring us plenty of energy."

"Great," Cody said with a grin. Emily looked over at him, shaking her head back and forth. "Not great?"

"Relax, it's just trail mix," Mia said to her friends.

"Trail Mix is good," Kevin said, slowly nodding and coming to Mia's defense. "The nuts give energy, and protein, the raisins will give us some sugar in contrast to the salty nuts, and, if you used the dark chocolate M&Ms I bought, they're good for your heart and reduces blood pressure."

"Actually, they're trail mix cookies," Mia said with a grin, "I found the recipe online. I thought it'd be cool to try it out."

"Ay carumba," Antonio mumbled. "If we don't exert ourselves on the mountains, at least we can put ourselves out of our misery with her cookies." Jayden started to laugh despite trying to give Antonio a look of warning.

"My feet are hurting already," Mike said with a hint of a whine in his tone as they continued up the rocky, uneven path up the mountain. "I'm starting to sweat, and these bugs keep biting me."

Melody moved over behind Cody and put her hands over his ears. "God damn, Mike, quit your bitching," she commented with a frown. "We all know that finding this zord is really important and I'd rather make it there without the urge of tying you to a tree and leaving you there."

"I already told you that I don't hike and I don't camp," Mike groaned, slapping at a spot on his neck. "It wasn't _me_ who suggested we go on this damn hike up to God knows where on this damn mountain."

"Ugh, here," Emily groaned, reaching into her backpack before slapping his Nintendo DS into his chest. Mike grinned and instantly started up the game. "That should at least last us until the batteries die." She turned towards Mia. "I'll make sure he doesn't walk off the edge."

"If he's going to keep complaining I might just push him," Kevin commented, deadpan.

"If you need an extra hand, just ask," Melody added removing her hands from Cody's ears. Kevin shot her an amused look.

"Keep an eye out for anything that looks like a zord, and sounds mechanical," Cody said as he lifted the map higher onto his face. "It won't be too hard to figure out that it's a zord once you spot it. But, I don't know how it's going to act. The people that were able to spot it were only able to catch a glimpse of it so they couldn't really pinpoint what it was."

"So how do we know it's actually the Pantherzord?" Jayden asked, looking around at the trees.

Cody reached into his bag and pulled out another slip of paper, handing it to Jayden. "All the reports add up," he explained. "A lot of people explained hearing kind of like a mechanical grinding sound before hearing what they described as a bobcat or a mountain lion. But, I don't think they really know the difference between the two anyway." He folded up the map that was in his hands, putting it back into his bag before pushing up the sleeves to his white long sleeved shirt that poked out from underneath his flannel t-shirt. "The strange thing is, though, that this zord isn't normally zord sized. I mean, people are mistaking it for a bobcat so it can't really be all that big."

"The Tigerzord was normal zord size," Jayden commented, flipping through the sheets of paper, quickly recognizing that they were a combination of police reports and newspaper articles about the incidents. "Cody, where did you get these?"He asked.

"Uhhh," Cody said, stalling, his face turning bright red. "You see, I kinda walked to Mel's house one day when my dad wasn't paying attention and talked to her brothers." He then turned towards Melody. "They told me about the wikia that's been recording all the fights from the Power Rangers. First off, I didn't know there were so many past Ranger teams, but then I was surprised that someone was actually keeping a close watch on what you've been doing." He slid his hands into his jeans pockets as he maneuvered around a giant split in the ground. "I got it from there, I thought it would help."

"Slam dunk, Cody," Melody said, reaching out her hand for a high five. Cody grinned, slapping her palm with his hand.

"Watch out, Antonio, I think you've got some competition," Mia joked, gently elbowing the Gold Ranger in the side, before quickly grabbing Mike's elbow, steering him around a turn.

"Ha!" Antonio laughed as he grabbed a bottle of water from the mesh pocket of his backpack. "But, I have to give the kid props."

"I'm not a kid," Cody said with, throwing a frown over his shoulder at Antonio. "I can handle myself. I—"

"How about we take a break," Jayden suggested, making his way over to a shaded clearing under a group of trees. He dropped his backpack to the ground and sat down beside it. "Not even thirty minutes into the hike and we're already getting on each other's nerves."

"Dude, not a moment too soon, I just got to the first boss," Mike commented, walking over to lay down on his back, not even bothering to take off his backpack. He crossed one leg over the other, using his backpack as a back rest.

"Anybody want to try the trail mix cookies?" Mia asked, kneeling on the ground, digging through her backpack.

"Yeah, I'll try it," Melody said, lazily putting her hand in the air. Mia smiled handing her a bag filled with three cookies. "They look good." She took the bag and opened it. She stuck her hand inside, grabbed a cookie and took a large bite out of it.

"What do you think?" Mia asked as she watched Melody chewed.

"It's…one of the better things you've made," Melody replied around the mouthful of crumbs. "Nutty. Chocolaty." She gave a thumbs up.

"Oh, great," Mia said with a grin. "Well, you can have those, I have some more if anyone else wants any."

As she reached back into her bag, Melody's chewing slowed until it stopped. Her face scrunched up and she slowly spit the mouthful of cookie out of her mouth, shaking her head back and forth, silently telling her friends not to eat the cookie.

"We'll rest here for about a half hour or so before we keep going," Jayden commented, dumping some water on his head. "I can't even guess how long we're going to be out here." He took a sip of his water and then leaned back against his bag, closing his eyes.

"You think we should split up?" Emily asked, gathering her hair in one hand, fanning the back of her neck with her free hand. "See if we can cover more of the mountain at one time?"

"The Pantherzord might attack, it might be better with the whole team together, just in case," Jayden replied.

"It won't attack, it's scared," Melody replied, picking at a small rock that was lodged between the grooves on her boot. Getting silence, she slowly looked up to see that everyone was staring blankly at her. "What?"

"_What_?" Kevin repeated.

"I said, it won't attack, because it's scared," Melody replied as if she was telling them that the sky was blue. "That's why it's been running away from the people in the city. It just recently got to Panorama City and it's not used to its surroundings."

"How do you know that?" Mia asked.

"It told me," Melody replied with a shrug. "It's kind of hard to explain since a zord doesn't really have a mind for me to read. But, I can interpret it's roars or whatever you want to call them." She brushed her hair behind her ears. "It's not just with the zord, I can do it with all felines."

"So, what, are you now Eliza Thornberry?" Mike asked, lowering his game system.

"That's funny," Melody said with a small smile. "Not, it's…it's like how I can communicate with my lion zord. I just know what its saying, that's all. But, it hasn't roared or anything, I can just hear like…whimpers or whatever."

"I honestly can't figure you out, Mel," Antonio said, shaking his head back and forth, "but I think you like me despite yourself." He got a loud snort from her in reply as the other Rangers let out laughter of amusement or disbelief.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Melody said with a roll of her eyes as she reached into her bag, withdrawing a bag of grapes. "You probably think Katy Perry feels the same way."

"Nah, we're over," Antonio said, shaking his head. "Distance issues you know. But, I'm looking at Zoey Deschanel now." A thoughtful look crossed his face. "But, Katy will come back one day, I imagine."

"Don't hold your breath," Melody said, shaking her head.

"_Hey, are you guys ok_?"

"What was that?" Kevin asked, looking around.

"Was that Mika?" Melody asked, a confused look crossing her face.

"Oh!" Cody unzipped a pocket on his backpack and pulled out a walkie-talkie. He pressed his thumb into a button on the side and said into the toy, "Yeah, Mika we're alright. We just stopped for a break."

"_Already? Well anyway, we haven't seen the Pantherzord anywhere yet, so it's probably sitting around somewhere, but we'll keep you updated_."

"Thanks, bye," Cody replied before putting the walkie-talkie back. "Before Jayden and I got back to the Shiba House, we stopped at Mel's place to get the walkie-talkie."

"Is that the same one Billy worked on?" Melody asked, wiggling her fingers. Cody nodded, handing the black plastic toy to her. She flipped it over in her hands, lightly tracing her fingers over the scratches on it. "Yeah, it is." She looked up at her friends. "Back when I was on the Mighty Morphin team, my friend Billy re-wired the walkie-talkies so they could tap into the Morphing Grid—which I will explain later—and be able to reach our Command Center and our communicators."

"Braiden was working on it," Cody replied, "so he would be able to reach us, and he can also use it to call your Samuraizers. My dad has one as well. Your brothers are helping us try and find the Pantherzord. Jayden used some of his symbol power to help them with this map they created. They use the symbol power to track the power for the zord. An indicator will appear on their map once it moves."

"They've been trying to help us out this whole time," Jayden explained to the other Rangers. "Ever since Mel e-mailed them while we were back on Emily's farm. Remember, when she told us about the wikia page? They've been keeping track of everything on that page just in case something of importance came up."

"I told you my brothers have helped us out a lot," Melody said with a somewhat sad smile.

"So the government _is _keeping track of everything we've been doing," Kevin said with a shake of his head. "But, they don't know our identities?"

"Or they do, but they're not revealing anything," Mia said with a frown. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Nothing's come of it before, it might not be anything big," Melody said, raking her fingers through her hair. "The database just has been growing bigger and bigger with each Nighlok encounter we've had, even before I joined the team."

"But, that's not to say that something bad can come of it," Emily said with a frown. "I mean, they had all the places listed where the Sanzu River water seeped through. Maybe they know where I live. Where w _all _lives."

"Right now, I don't think it's anything we really need to get ourselves worked up over," Jayden said, brushing his hair out of his face. "All of your houses are protected with symbol power just like the Shiba House. Your parents know what to do if something were to happen. We just have to have faith in ourselves and faith in our parents. We can get through anything we set out to do."

"And we've set out to find this Pantherzord," Kevin said, getting to his feet. "I'm ready to continue on if you guys are." The other Rangers muttered their agreements and packed up their stuff. "Cody, you doing ok?"

"Yeah, I'm great," Cody replied with a smile as he shouldered his bag once again. "Don't worry about me. I can keep up."

"Just be sure to tell us when you're tired," Emily said, giving him a warm smile. "Come on, Mike, let's go." She held out her hand towards him and he took it, closing his Nintendo DS.

"Thanks, Em," Mike said to her as he slid the DS into his pocket. He clapped his hands together. "Let's find this zord."

* * *

Thirty minutes before and the wide dirt path started to narrow as the path started to lead up on an incline. Kevin and Mia lead the group, walking side by side at the front. Mike and Emily followed after them, with Antonio and Melody after them and Jayden and Cody bringing up the rear. They all moved silently with occasional, "Everyone doing ok?" thrown around.

"So I've always wondered," Melody said, stepping over a fallen tree, "what made a fisherman drop everything and come to Panorama." Antonio gave her a curious look as he used the scarf around his neck to wipe the sweat from his face. "Your dad's pretty famous with his shop."

"Did you Google me?" he asked, his eyebrows rising.

"Maybe," Melody replied with a shrug.

A small grin came to his face. "So that's how you found out about Katy and me." He laughed when she slapped his arm. "The adventure of it, that's why." He glanced back at the Red Ranger who was staring out over the mountains and down at Panorama below them. "After meeting Jayden, I always knew that I was meant to be a Samurai. I mean, I do love fishing, and I picked up the guitar to pass the time when there was a lull in the shop, but I really love doing this." He waved his arm in the air, motioning towards everyone. "I've moved a couple times; I lived in Florida and New Orleans before settling in California before making the trip down here to Panorama." He grinned. "Did I tell you anything you didn't read on Google?"

"Apparently you're a racecar driver, too," Melody said with a shake of her head. She turned her head to the side to pull the elastic out of her hair before twisting her hair up again into a high ponytail. "The only thing I knew was about the fish place." Her upper lip curled slightly. "Google doesn't describe people, it just states facts. For example, it doesn't explain why this Antonio Garcia feels he has to flirt with me every chance he gets despite knowing that I'm not interested."

"Nor does it explain why a beautiful girl like yourself doesn't see the possibility in a guy like me. Look—" He gently touched her arm, stopping her. "My nails are clean, despite climbing up this mountain, I have excellent dental hygiene—" Melody shook her head when he gave her a smile, "and most importantly, I like a good challenge. I mean, cutting dead fish to live ones that move, and have spears, is pretty challenging if you ask me. I get persuaded by the unknown."

"Let's be honest here, Antonio, you get persuaded by a lot of things," Melody said with a brief roll of her eyes. "The call to adventure, pies—"

"Don't forget a beautiful girl."

"Beautiful girls," she added.

"Not girls," he corrected her. "Girl."

"Whatever." Melody said, kicking a rock over the edge, watching as it bounced down the side of the drop off, disappearing into some trees. "So why do you keep flirting if you know I'm not interested?"

Antonio shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said that I didn't hope you'd change your mind at some point," he said as he scratched the back of his neck. "Not only that, but, well you give your attention to the rest of us and give us advice and stuff. You deserve attention, too, considering…"

"Oh," Melody replied with a nod. Then she gave him a confused look. "Wait! What's that supposed to mean? 'Considering'? Considering what?"

"You can interpret that anyway you want," Antonio said with a shrug. He was silent for a moment before saying, "You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel."

"And what does _that _mean?" Melody asked, her eyebrows shooting upwards.

"Keep moving," Jayden muttered as he quickened his pace, Cody right beside him. He gently pushed Antonio and the group of four started walking faster, hurrying to keep up with Kevin, Mia, Emily, and Mike. "We've still got a long way to go. But, I think it levels out here." His green eyes flickered towards Antonio. "Keep in mind what we're climbing up this mountain for."

"No problem, amigo," Antonio replied, giving a mock salute. Cody laughed at the exchange.

"Hey, the path levels off up here," Kevin called down to them.

The Rangers hurried up the incline and reached a torrent of water cutting across their path. The water was clear, reflecting their faces at the edge. Kevin walked over to it and stuck his hand in the water, quickly pulling it back.

"It's cold," he announced, shaking the water from his hands. "If anyone needs to fill their water bottles, now's the time." He looked over at the water and frowned. "Em, you think you can get some stepping stones in there?"

"Yeah, but you're all going to want to step back out of the splash zone," Emily replied, pulling her Samuraizer out of her pocket. Cody watched in awe as she started to draw a yellow symbol into the air. "Symbol Power; Rock." The Rangers took a couple of steps back as Emily conjured rock after rock to create stepping stones for them.

"Great job, Em," Mike said with a grin, shaking Emily's shoulder after the last rock was placed. Emily smiled in reply as she slid her Samuraizer back into her pocket.

"Kev, can you turn the water into ice?" Jayden asked after a moment of silence, looking around at the water. "Our backpacks might throw us off balance jumping across, and we might drop them if we pass them along."

"You've got it," Kevin replied, reaching for his own Samuraizer. "Symbol Power; Ice." The Rangers huddled together, shivering as a chill gust of air swept past them. There was a creaking sound as the water started to freeze together, making one solid sheet of ice.

"Why don't we just walk across the ice?" Melody asked.

"I can make the ice, but I don't exactly know how long it's going to stay that way," Kevin said with a shake of his head. "I also don't know how deep the ice goes. Better to not be on it in case it cracks."

"Everyone be careful," Jayden warned as he stepped over to the rocks, "go slow, and don't move unless you're sure you have your balance." He stretched out a foot and slowly stepped up onto the rock, pausing to keep his balance. "Cody, after me, and someone follow him."

He stretched out his leg to the second rock and motioned for Cody to follow him. Cody stepped onto the first rock as Jayden pulled his back leg alongside the second. Mia took Cody's back hand and stepped onto the first rock as he slowly moved onto the second. The Rangers slowly and carefully made their way across the rocks, turning to help the person behind them keep their balance, and if they did fall onto the ice, helped them up quickly just in case.

"Where's Jayden?" Emily asked as all of the Rangers made it to the other side. Jayden was nowhere to be found, despite having been standing on the bank just a minute before, waiting for the other Rangers to join him.

"He must've gone on straight ahead," Cody said, pulling his map out of his bag again. "It winds around this bend and then it's four miles up. With hills. He's probably checking out the terrain or something." He frowned as he folded it back up. "I don't understand why we haven't had any sign of the Pantherzord, yet. I'm sure it's going to be here."

"Don't sweat it, Little Man," Mike said, shaking Cody's shoulders. "It's better to at least try before giving up. We don't know that it's _not _here."

"Wait, I'm sorry," Melody said, putting her hand in the air. "Four miles, _up hill_!?"

"Let's get started, then," Mia said with a sigh. "And we can catch up with Jayden, too." She started on the path after shaking out her feet, feeling that they were starting to get sore. They rounded the corner and saw Jayden walking back towards them. "Where'd you go?"

"Just checking out what was going on up ahead," Jayden replied, adjusting the backpack on his back. "There's a camping area not far from here."

"What's wrong?" Mia asked, tilting her head to the side as she peered at him. Jayden raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Are you ok?"

"Just a lot on my mind lately, that's all," Jayden replied. He and Mia looked around when they heard the slight ruffle of the trees, shortly before a cool breeze washed over the two of them. They let out a sigh. "That feels good. I was hoping it was—"

"Me too," Mia agreed as the other Rangers joined them, breathing heavily. They were all starting to look tired, but they hadn't even made it that far up the mountain at all. But, Cody was being a trooper, keeping up with everybody and despite being tired, pushing on with everyone.

As the hike wore on and one, the Rangers started to slow down and spread out from a group and into a line. Kevin and Jayden were doing their best to keep a good pace up the mountain, trying to reach the camping site before night fell. Mia and Melody walked on either side of Cody, helping him up some of the more steeper parts to climb and Mike and Emily were trailing behind, but all the while, keeping their friends in their sites.

"Hey, Em, Have you ever seen Panorama at sunset?" Mike asked, nudging her in the side as the Rangers grouped together at an uphill climb. There were hardly any trees, just a small ledge and then a grouping of large rocks that blocked the view of where the trail continued, following the path laid out by the white arrows. Jayden and Kevin started up as the other Rangers rested.

"Of course," Emily replied, giving him an odd look. She laughed oddly. "I do live in Panorama, you know." She titled her head, peering curiously at him. "It's very beautiful. Why?"

"Have you seen it from this high up?" Mike asked, gently grabbing her arm, turning her to face the side.

"Wow," Emily gasped, her eyes widening. The soft pink tints of the sun as it set below the horizons become a deep magenta. The magenta faded into the purple clouds as they floated lazily against the sky. "It's so beautiful."

"Yeah," Mike agreed. He then blinked and cleared his throat. "I mean…yeah…it's cool, I guess." He then turned and continued to follow the other Rangers. He started climbing up a rocky face, pausing to hold his hand out to her to help her up.

Emily put her hand in his and slowly started to climb up after him, when her foot slipped. A small shriek escaped her mouth as her hand slid out of Mike's and she started to slide backwards. "Em!" Mike cried, watching as her foot slipped off a muddy spot, pitching her body backwards.

Emily let out a startled yelp, trying to grab anything to stop herself, but found that there wasn't a lot for her to grab onto except for rocks slipper with mud and water. She slid down quickly, desperately grasping for anything. "Em, hold on," Mike shouted, slowly letting go of his hand hold, carefully trying to maneuver his way down the rocks, after the Yellow Ranger.

"Emily!" Mike heard Mia shout from above him. "Mike, get her!"

"I'm trying," Mike shouted back. He briefly closed his eyes before allowing himself to fall bracing himself against the rocks as to not get anything snagged, trying to stop himself from sliding out of control. "Em, try and hold onto something." He heard a grunt below him and craned his neck to see Emily's fingertips gripping onto the top of a rounded rock.

Mike braced his arms on a rock before slowly lowering himself down until he was holding on with just his hands. "Try and grab my ankle," he called down to Emily.

"_Mike, did you get her_?" Kevin's voice echoed through the rocks. "_Em, are you ok?_"

"She's holding on," Mike called back to him. "Em, come on, I can get you up." He groaned, trying to hold himself up when he suddenly felt Emily's weight on his leg as she wrapped her arms around his foot, holding on tightly. "You ok, Em?"

"Hurry and pull me up," Emily shouted back.

Mike clenched his teeth together as he slowly crawled forward, trying to pull himself up onto the rock. His muscles screamed in pain as he banged his knee into the edge of the rock. Emily tightened her grip even tighter around his leg. Mike pulled himself up until he was sure he could keep his balance. He slowly turned around, sitting on top of the rock before grabbing Emily's arms, hauling her up to sit by him.

"I got her," Mike called up the rock face and he heard his friends' cheers and cries of relief. "You ok, Em?"

Emily nodded, wiping at her eyes with her arm. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, giving him a weak smile. "Thanks, Mike." She leaned over and wrapped her arm around him, giving him a tight hug.

"Don't ever do that to me again," Mike joked as he hugged her back. "I know you're accident prone, but that was too much for one guy to handle."

Emily laughed as she pulled back from the hug. "That wasn't my intention, but it's nice to know you'd throw yourself off a mountain for me," she replied with a smile. Mike stared at her for a moment.

"For a second there I thought I lost you," Mike said with a shake of his head as he brushed some dirt off his knees before proceeding to wipe the dirt off his hands and onto his shorts. "Just do me a favor and wait a little while before you go sliding off more mountains."

"I promise the next time I do something like that…I'm taking you down with me," Emily replied and the two of them laughed. "Hey, we should keep heading up before they freak out more than they already were. _I'll_ go first this time."

"Good idea," Mike said with a small laugh. "Hey, do you think we—" he broke off when he heard a loud crashing sound and the ground around him shook violently. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know," Emily replied, giving him a wide-eyed look. "Do you think it's the—" There was another crashing sound and the ground shook again. Some loose rocks bounced down around them a moment before a distant roar split the air. "That must be the Pantherzord."

"Let's go," Mike said, getting to his feet. He and Emily quickly and carefully crawled up the rock face, rejoining their friends on a flat surface. Mia and Melody instantly pulled Emily into a hug. Kevin clapped Mike on the back. "You guys hear that, too?"

"It's the Pantherzord," Melody replied, her head tilted to the side. "Not too far from here. But it knows we're coming."

"I knew it would be here," Cody said, sounding excited. "We have to get going, we have to catch it. And it's getting late." He jumped when he heard a voice burst through his bag. He reached for his walkie-talkie, nearly dropping it in his haste to answer. "Cody here, what's up."

"_Let me talk to Mel_."

Cody tossed the walkie-talkie over to Melody. "What's up, Mika?"

"_Spike's gone_," Melody's brother's grim tone came over the line. Her eyes widened as the words repeated in her mind. "_Bulk can't find him. He woke up this morning and he was gone. But, he left a note about the rent. Apparently, they've fallen behind and owe a lot of money._"

"Farkus Bulkmeier, I'm going to _kill_ you," Melody growled, before moving the walkie-talkie back to her mouth. "Got it, thanks for the heads up. I'll get in touch soon." She then practically shoved it into Cody's chest. "Spicoli Skullovitch, once I get my hands on you—"

The Rangers all jumped when their Samuraizer's beeped. "Not now," Cody said with a frown, looking up the rock face. "We're so close."

"Duty calls, Cody," Jayden said to the younger boy as he flipped his Samuraizer open with his thumb. "We were taking the risk when we came out here. Yeah, Ji?"

"_The Nighlok is back in downtown Panorama City_," Ji's voice came out of the Samuraizer at Jayden's ear. Jayden nodded and was about to reply but was cut off when the ground shook beneath them, followed by another roar.

"We got it, Ji," Jayden hastily replied before closing his Samuraizer, putting it back into his pocket. "Rangers, we have a Nighlok to fight. We're going to have to finish this search later." He then turned to Cody, putting his hands on the small boy's shoulders, looking into his eyes. "Don't feel bad, Cody. We know where the Pantherzord is. You were right." Cody couldn't help but smile.

"How are we going to get back to town in time to fight the Nighlok?" Antonio asked.

Melody licked her lips, turning to face the wide open area in front of them. She stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a loud, long, shrill whistle, which echoed through the air. Moments later, Jaeger and Azure in their lion forms appeared in front of them, keeping themselves up in the air by flapping the black wings that sat on their backs.

"Whoa," Cody whispered, a grin coming to his face.

"We need you to help us get back to the car, as you know by now, there's a Nighlok attack," Melody said to Jaeger, motioning for Cody to step closer to him. She helped Cody onto Azure's back. "Once we get back to the car, take Cody home. And stay at his house until the Nighlok attack is over."

"Thanks for everything, dude," Mike said with a grin, winking at Cody. "We'll definitely see you again."

"Oh, you can count on it," Cody replied with a grin. "Thanks for letting me tag along with you guys." He gave a wave before Azure disappeared in a flash of light.

"Alright guys, grab on," Melody said as Jaeger carefully moved closer to the rock ledge.

The Rangers carefully leaned forward, grabbing a handful of his mane. Letting out a loud roar, the Rangers flinched, squeezing their eyes shut. A distant roar sounded in reply as a purple orb appeared in front of Jaeger. It grew bigger and bigger until Jaeger suddenly jumped through it, jerking the Rangers through with him. Seconds later, they were in the parking lot next to the Shiba Family car.

"We were _so _close," Emily groaned, brushing her hair from her face. "We could hear the Pantherzord."

"We can't dwell on that now," Kevin said with a shake of his head. "We got beaten bad by this Nighlok the last time. There must be a way to pick this Nighlok out from its fakes."

"Yeah, something about the real one we didn't notice," Mike commented, tapping his chin. "The others…they were weird. They were copies but…not."

"It kind of felt like smoke," Mia commented. "You could cut through them so easily, but you never hurt them."

"Well, these are mirror images, right?" Emily asked her friends and they all nodded. "Maybe the fakes don't cast a reflection. You know, like vampires."

"You've been watching too many horror movies," Melody said with a shake of her head. "Em, there are no such thing as vampires. Next thing you know, you're going to say Frankenstein is—"She paused for a moment before shaking her head, "never mind."

A smile stretched onto Kevin's face. "Nothing cuts through smoke faster than—"

"The LightZord," Jayden finished for him before turning towards Antonio. "It's almost completely dark now. Its high powered beam could shine through the Nighlok's tricks. You think you can do that for us?"

"It's going to take me a little while to charge, but it'll be golden," Antonio replied, giving a double thumbs up.

"Mel, we'll help you find your friend, but first we have to make sure the city is safe," Jayden said, turning towards the Purple Ranger. "You ok? We need your head in this. This is your element." Melody looked over at him and nodded. "Good. It's go time."

* * *

**A/N: **Phew! Such a long chapter, and so much happened, but I really enjoyed writing it. I didn't get to Kevin/Mia, but the relationships will be touched on more and more in each chapter from here on out. I hope you guys liked this one. Cody will still be appearing more and you'll see more of Mel's brothers, too. The Pantherzord will be brought up more as well.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	37. Chapter 37: Finding Spike, Complications

**.:Chapter Thirty-Seven – Finding Spike, Finding Complications:.**

* * *

"I'm just saying I think it's totally awesome that we _all _get to use Shogun Mode," Mike said, the next morning, tapping his fingers on the handle of his shinai.

He was referring to the Nighlok fight that night. While they had used the Light Zord to shine through Duplicator's tricks to find the real Nighlok. And in that fight, Mia used the Black Box for a second time, but also using Shogun Mode for the first. The extra power boost really helped the Rangers in the fight, and Mike hadn't been able to stop talking about it since.

"I can't wait to test that baby out," he continued with a grin. "I mean, I thought Super Mode itself was pretty boss, but this just takes the cake." He let out a whistle. "And all that armor?"

"Mike!" Jayden called, a hint of an edge to his tone. "Shogun Mode, yes, it is cool, but it's not a toy, but that's not what we're doing right now." He motioned over towards Melody who was sitting, cross legged on the ground, elbowing resting against her chins, watching him. "We're training. _Please _pay attention."

"I could've used this time to go looking for Spike," Melody added.

"Mel, I promise you that there are people out looking for your friend," Jayden said, turning to look at the Purple Ranger. "Like Kale and Cody for example. And Mentor is out looking for him as well. But, I need you here right now. Once we're done you can go out and look for him." He tapped his shinai against the ground. "Now, try again."

Mike let out a sigh through his nose before lifting his shinai up into the air, tightly gripping it with his hands. He held his chin up high with the air of confidence, a small smirk playing at his lips as he gazed across the small area towards the Purple Ranger. He dropped into a relaxed fighting stance, waiting. Melody got to her feet, lazily swinging her shinai at her side. Jayden frowned at the movement, but didn't say anything. She rolled her shoulders back, planting her feet shoulder width apart. The two Rangers locked eyes and they both bowed towards each other.

"Go," Jayden called out.

Mike braced his feet along the ground as Melody suddenly ran towards him, moving faster than he had seen before. He shifted his grip on his shinai, bringing his left hand a little lower than he would normally hold it. Melody's eyes briefly flickered over his form, noting the weak point in his stance, before rushing past him, smacking his knee cap with her shinai, a loud popping sound filling the air.

"Ouch! Mike groaned, dropping to one knee. He grit his teeth, rubbing at his sore kneecap. "What was that for?"

"It was a weak spot," Melody replied, patting him on the back. "Your fighting stance is good for your fighting style, but it makes you lack defense around your legs." Mike turned, wide-eyed towards Jayden.

"She's got a point," he stated. "And we need to perfect our fighting styles if we want to stand even the slimmest of chances against not only her, but Jaeger, and Azure." He walked over to Mike and gripped his elbow, helping him to his feet. "No one said this would be easy."

"And I was barely using any of my super speed on that one," Melody commented, spinning her shinai through the air, making a whistling sound.

"Alright, ok," Mike said, putting his hands up. He rolled his neck, bouncing his weight from foot to foot. "Are you ready?" Melody stopped what she was doing and sank into a defensive stance as Jayden backed away a few steps.

"Go," Jayden called for a second time.

_Smack. _The two shinais crashed into each other as Mike and Melody lunged forward, aiming for a strike above their waists. Jayden watched, moving his head back and forth as the two Rangers fought as hard as they could. Jayden could see the strengths and weaknesses to both of their fighting styles. Mike was all over the place with his fighting, but with that, he was able to keep the heat on his opponent. Downside, was what Melody had pointed out, he didn't have a lot of defense around his legs. Melody's fighting style emphasized quick steps and being as quiet as possible, but being more of a hand to hand combat fighter, the area from her waist up was often left unprotected.

Jayden winced, watching as Melody hooked her foot around Mike's, quickly jerking it back, knocking him off balance, hitting the ground, hard on his shoulder. Jayden let out a sigh, shaking his head slightly. "You're still too flat-footed, Mike," Jayden commented, running a hand over his face. "Light feet. Work as quickly and as quietly as you can."

"Fine, fine," Mike said as an evil grin suddenly worked its way to his face. He slipped his hand into his uniform pocket and pulled out his Samuraizer. "Symbol Power; Vines!" The ground cracked open beneath their feet and vines slithered out, wrapping itself around Melody's ankles, locking her legs together before they wrapped up her body, pinning her arms to her sides before she fell over.

"Good work, Mike," Jayden commented, his eyebrows raised, impressed. "Quick, thinking." He looked over at Melody as she rolled on the ground, trying to get back to her feet. "Mel, remember—"

"Always keep your guard up," Mike and Jayden said in unison, Mike smiling from ear to ear. His smile faded slightly when Melody didn't say anything in reply. In fact, she had stopped moving and was staring at the sky, breathing heavily. "Mel? Mel, are you okay?"

Melody suddenly squeezed her eyes shut as her body glowed a dark purple. A growl rumbled in her throat seconds before the vines broke apart with a loud snap and Melody's eyes shot open, glowing a bright purple. She picked up her dropped shinai, slowly walking over to Mike. "That was smart," she commented, giving him a weird smile. "But, not smart enough."

Jayden's jaw dropped slightly as Mike scrambled to his feet, blocking Melody's strike with his shinai. A determined look crossed his face as he tried to fend off as many of Melody's attacks with his left hand. "Symbol Power; Vines."

Melody did an odd jump and step as the ground cracked open a second time and more vines slithered out, reaching towards her. She tried to dodge them, but the vines kept following her. She ran to one side and Mike did the same, but he ran away from her, giving the vines more space to try and catch her. "Dark Fire," Melody said before pursing her lips blowing into her palm.

A ball of fire grew in her palm and she threw it at the vines, causing them to instantly burst into flames. But more of them came, faster and thicker than before. A low cry escaped her lips when she was suddenly hanging upside down by her ankle. She could hear Mike's loud cackle and managed to twist herself around to see him sitting on top of the wall surrounding the backyard of the Shiba House, holding onto the other end of the vine and Melody quickly found that he had used his symbol power to grow a tree in the middle of the yard, using it as a pully system.

"You've got to be kidding me," she growled. She had lost.

"Took you long enough to drag me into the fight," he called, his tone joking. "I have a marvelous mind you know…video games and all that."

"You okay?" Jayden asked, walking over to Melody as she slowly swung back and forth.

"I'm just peachy," she spat, glaring at him. She had _never _lost. Not against Mike. Not against some kiddy tricks. She wanted to hit herself. "Are you going to get me down or not?"

Jayden raised an eyebrow; before turning his head to look over at Mike who just shrugged, still grinning. Jayden sighed, retrieving his Samuraizer. "Symbol Power: Fire." The vine snapped and Melody twisted herself in the air, landing on her feet. Mike jumped down from the wall and waved his Samuraizer in the air, the tree seeming to shrink in size until it lost its leaves and its branches, getting smaller and smaller until it slithered back into the ground, which sealed itself up, not a crack in sight.

"How did you do that?" Melody asked, turning towards Mike, rubbing at her ankle as he made his way over to the two Rangers.

Mike merely shrugged. "Practice," he replied. "I've sparred against you enough to know your fighting style." Jayden looked over at him curiously. "You've been distracted with this Spike thing so you haven't been sparring as you usually do. Who knew video games would really help me out?"

"Good job," Jayden said, nodding over to the Green Ranger. Mike leaned into Melody's face.

"You look…" Mike commented, his smile reappearing, "annoyed. You're mad you lost, aren't you?"

"Am not," she replied, but an annoyed look then crossed her face. "Besides, it's just sparring. And you were bound to get the best of me at one point." She then rubbed her temples, shaking her head.

"You ok?" Jayden asked her.

"Yeah, fine," Melody replied, letting out a breath of air. "Just used too much power at one time." She then clapped Mike on the shoulder. "That was good. I didn't see it coming."

"Everyone's bound to lose every once in a while," Mike continued.

"Yeah, yeah," Melody muttered as the three of them made their way into the Shiba House. "Kev, Em, it's your turn." She reached for an apple from the fruit basket that sat in the middle of the island and took a large bite out of it. Chomping furiously, she turned back towards Mike. "You barely thought about any of your attacks! I hate not knowing what you're doing."

"That's how we all feel when we spar against you," Mike told her humorously as he moved to the cupboards to get himself a glass. He poured himself some orange juice from the pitcher and quickly downed his glass.

"Are you two okay?" Emily asked from where she was sitting, looking back and forth between the two Rangers. She had a book lying on the table in front of her. Mike continued to smile when Melody took another large bite from her apple.

"They're fine, Em," Jayden replied, moving to sit next to Kevin, taking the last spot at the island.

Emily wrinkled her nose in disbelief before she dog-eared the page she was on and then closing her book. She looked back and forth between Mike and Melody. "Then why does Mel look like you stole chocolate from her?" she asked, "or murdered her puppy."

"Murdered her _puppy_?" Kevin repeated, his eyebrows shooting up.

"She's just mad because I beat her," Mike said in a sing-song voice.

Kevin let out a loud laugh. "No, really," he said, shaking his head, "what did he do?" Mike's jaw dropped before he pouted, leaning against the counter. Kevin looked over at the Green Ranger before staring at Melody in shock. "He's…he's telling the truth?"

"_You_ beat Mel?" Mentor asked, speaking up for the first time since the Rangers entered the house.

"Well, don't be _too _surprised," Mike commented, his pout getting bigger.

"But you never lose against Mike," Emily commented, her eyes growing wide. "And me, too. What's up?"

"Do we have any oranges?" Melody asked, digging through the fruit basket before grabbing the fruit she was looking for. "What's wrong? I'm stuck in this house and can't go out and find my missing friend. _That's _what's wrong?" She started to peel the orange at warp speed noticing that everyone was staring at her. "I told you, I eat when I'm worried." She chewed quietly for a moment before saying, "Mike's gotten better." From the look on her face, it was obvious that she didn't want to admit it.

"Thank you, thank you," Mike said, proceeding to flex his muscles, kissing his biceps. "I try." He looked over at Mia when she came jogging into the kitchen. "Hey, Mia."

"Hey," Emily greeted her friend. "It's kinda early for a jog, huh?"

"You're a credit to the Samurai life," Kevin commented, giving her a warm smile. He then coughed, scratching at a spot behind his ear. "Good run?"

"Great run. Antonio's right behind me," Mia replied, motioning for someone to pour her a glass of orange juice. "Mel, I kept an eye out for your friend, but I didn't see him anywhere."

"Thanks, girl," Melody replied around a mouthful of oranges.

"Hey, guys," Antonio said with a grin as he made his way into the kitchen, a wide smile on his face, carrying two buckets of large fish. "I've caught breakfast…lunch…_and _dinner." He clapped his hands together. "Antonio Garcia delivers!"

"Great catch, Antonio," Mentor said with a smile.

"Hey, the fish were really biting today," Antonio said with a shrug, crossing his arms over his chest. "There were more than I could catch." He then turned towards Melody. "I went up and down the pier, Spike wasn't there. He _was _at one point, though."

"How do you know?" Jayden asked.

"Because a captain of a demolished boat kept yelling his name every once in a while in his rant about said damaged boat," Antonio replied, his mouth forming a grim line.

"If he's anything like his dad, which he is, then it's got Spike's name written all over it," Melody replied. She rubbed her chin. "But, why would he be working on a boat?"

Emily made a noise in the back of her throat, brushing some of her hair behind her ear before pointing at finger over at Melody. "Your brother mentioned something about your friend falling behind—"

"On rent," Melody finished for her. "He must be out looking for a job to help pay the rent." She then cringed. "If the boat is any indication, it might be easier to find him than I thought."

Mia suddenly gasped. "How about I make breakfast for everyone?" she suggested. "We could get extra energy from Antonio's fish and we could all go out and try and find Mel's friend."

"Uhhh, I'm late for training," Jayden said, flashing her a quick smile before hurrying out of the room.

"Uhh, me too," Kevin added. "I'll take a rain check, though." He hurried out after Jayden.

"I forgot, I'm on a diet," Emily said, practically running out after Kevin, grabbing a water bottle on the way. "But, it sounded _really_ good. Sorry."

"Uh, I just gotta go," Mike said, inching his way towards the door. "Video games are calling, you know?"

"No time, Mia," Antonio said, grabbing a bucket of fish. "I've got fish to catch. And Mel, you said you'd come with me, remember?"

"Oh…yeah," Melody replied with a nod. "Yeah, I remember." She motioned towards the last bucket that was sitting on the counter. "And Jaeger and Azure will be good with this, so you don't have to worry about them."

"Mentor?" Mia asked, turning towards him.

"I already ate," he slowly replied, giving her a sheepish grin. "Sorry."

"That's ok," Mia replied, moving to take her glass of orange juice.

The other Rangerss, how were crouched outside the kitchen, exchanged glances and let out sighs of relief. "Guys, we can't keep running out of the kitchen if Mia suggests making something for us," Jayden said in a whisper to the other Rangers, motioning for them to follow him down the hall. "It's not fair to her. I think she's starting to catch on, but we're really not helping her get better with her cooking."

"Well, if you're volunteering to tell her, be my guest," Melody said, using her shoulder to brush her hair out of her face. "Have either of you seen Jaeger and Azure this morning?" Everyone shook their heads. She sighed. "I'm beginning to see a pattern with them; it's not a good thing when they're gone at the same time."

"Well, maybe they're out looking for Spike," Emily suggested.

"The two of them?" Kevin asked, raising his eyebrows. "It'd take less than five seconds to do that." He looked up when the doorbell rang. "Maybe that's them now."

"Using the front door?" Jayden asked, raising his eyebrows. "Nah, I doubt it. And if, by some random chance, it was the police bringing him home, they'd take him to his address, not here."

"Neither of them know I'm here, so you don't have to worry about that," Melody commented. They all heard the front door open and Mentor's muffled voice as he talked to whoever it was who was at the door.

"Mel, you have guests," Mentor said, walking into the hallway, "but they wanted to speak to all of you. I'll get Mia." The Rangers exchanges glances, but followed him into the living room. A smile came to Melody's face when she saw Mike and Braiden standing in the living room, looking around in awe.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Melody asked, catching their attention before she stepped over to them to give them a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"We just wanted to see how you were doing," Mika replied.

"Really?" Melody asked, arching an eyebrow. "And why would you want to know that?"

"Because I'd like to know," he answered and then, arched an eyebrow as well. "You don't believe me do you?"

"No," Melody answered shortly, tilting her head towards Braiden. "If he's here too, it's something important."

"Mika and I have the day off work today so we stopped by," Braiden commented, shrugging his backpack off of his shoulders as the Rangers sat down. "Where's Jaeger and Azure?"

"Right here," Jaeger said as he and Azure strolled into the room. Jaeger had a rolled up piece of paper in his hands. "We were called by Lady Aurealian."

"It's nothing bad," Azure replied, as everyone gave her a look of alarm. "She just wanted to see how things have been going down here. Normally, she wouldn't have us tell her, but she's been preoccupied back home."

"So, what's going on?" Jayden asked, Melody's brothers as Braiden pulled his computer out of his backpack.

Neither of the two boys said anything as Braiden logged into the computer before turning it around to face the other Rangers, slapping the spacebar with his thumb. The screen was blank for a moment before lights appeared on the screen. They were looking at the area they had fought in last night, downtown, just outside of a parking garage. The screen flickered, but continued to show the same picture, until they saw a picture of the Rangers running into the scene, before morphing and slowly making their way through the area.

"They caught us on tape," Emily gasped, pointing a finger at the computer screen.

"Unfortunately, it's not the first time," Braiden commented, before leaning over the computer. He hit a few keys and another recording came up, again, showing the Rangers running onto the scene of a Nighlok fight, morphing. "Before any of you ask, I think it's pretty obvious where we got it from."

"So, the people who are running this site….whoever it is…they know who we are?" Mia asked in a low voice.

"And in relation, so does the government," Kevin said, tapping his chin with his fingers.

"Not necessarily," Mika said, to Kevin. "Yes, this person is able to access government documents, and police reports, but there's really nothing here that says that the government knows about you guys specifically." He was talking in a calm tone, as if trying to calm himself down. "These videos were posted online, but were taken down pretty quickly, but Braiden was able to grab them pretty quickly."

"Luckily, there's no trace on them," Braiden said with a shrug. "On the bright side, only you guys know this is you. Both times, it only shows the backs of your heads."

"Of all the years and all the teams of Power Rangers, why are they _now _trying to figure out who we are?" Mike asked.

"It's not the first time people are trying to figure out our identities, Mike," Melody said with a shake of her head. "Hell, during my last few years of high school, it was what everyone wanted to know. Who was saving the day?" She gave a shrug. "Only in that case, people just wanted to be able to thank them in person. That could be the same thing here."

"But, it might not be at the same time," Jayden pointed out and Braiden gave a brief nod.

"There will always be the type of people who will use information like this to try and uncover things," Braiden explained, a grave look on his face. "There are some conspiracy theory sites that are popping up. It's not anything new, it's just getting a resurgence but people think that the government created or made the Power Rangers team to control people's faith in the government."

"They think the government is attacking their own country?" Mia asked, her eyes popping open. "What about the Nighlok then? How do they explain that?"

"Have you ever heard of 9/11 conspiracy theorists?" Mika asked, raising his eyebrows. "It's pretty scary and convincing stuff." He clasped his hands together in his lap. "The point is things might not be as smooth a ride as it was: monster comes, Rangers fight back, monster grows, Rangers defeat the monster, Rangers get praise. Clear cut and precise, right?" He briefly shook his head. "Lately, the only information that's been popping up on this site is the death toll from any of your attacks."

"So…what, they're trying to make us look bad?" Mike asked.

"It seems to be that way," Braiden replied. "Now, you still don't have a lot to worry about as not a lot of people have been visiting the page, but the numbers have increased slightly." He used his shoulder to brush his hair out of his face. "As word of mouth spreads, I can only assume that it'll get more an more attention."

"But, there's also the chance that the page could be shut down before then," Mika added, "because of all the information they have on the page. Hell, they could go to jail for life for taking government documents and police reports." He shook his head back and forth. "Taking information from the news reports, that's one thing. But, stealing secret documents? That's a whole other thing."

"Oh, and before Spike went missing, he was working at dad's place for a little bit," Briaden added. Melody gave him a look of alarm. "To be honest with you, I thought this Ranger stuff was a little more important."

"Spike wasn't that great at waiting or dish washing or, well, anything," Mika commented, twisting his mouth to the side. "He must've known it as well as he asked dad to leave before he got fired again."

"Wait, 'again'?" Melody repeated.

"Dad's place wasn't the first place he went to for a job," Braiden replied, before motioning towards the computer. "And then I saw this." The Rangers looked back at the computer screen, and it was still a dark screen. Then lights on the screen flickered on as a lone figure moved through the parking lot, dressed in a security uniform, waving a flash light around.

"It's Spike," Melody cried, her eyes widening slightly. Then her face clouded with worry. "So, he was there last night. During the Nighlok attack." She looked over at Jayden. "You don't think that he—"

"There's only one way to find out," Jayden said, getting to his feet.

"Have you showed this to Bulk?" Melody asked, turning to her brothers.

"We stopped here first, we were on our way to tell him," Braiden said, closing his computer. He looked over at Jayden. "Follow us, and you can drive Mel back here." He offered his hand towards Jayden. "But, thank you for taking the time to see us."

"Thank_ you _for helping us out with the Pantherzord the other day," Jayden relied with a nod before shaking Mika's hand. "Rangers, let's go." He then stopped, turning towards Jaeger and Azure. "Was there anything you needed to tell us?"

"It can wait until you get back," Azure replied, glancing briefly at Jaeger, who nodded.

"If you're sure," Jayden said and the two guardians nodded. "Let me get my keys and we'll head out. Mel, you can go with your brothers."

"Thanks," Melody replied, before following her brothers out of the Shiba House.

"Mel," Mika commented, glancing back at the Shiba House, before looking over at his sister. "I know you wanted to ask…dad's doing better." Melody peered at him. "Seriously. It was touch and go for a little bit. He's lost weight and he's a little slower, mobility wise, but he's getting better." He glanced at the Shiba House again. "How well do you know Jayden?"

"I've known him for a little less than a year," Melody replied, giving her brother a puzzled look. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," Mika admitted with a frown and a shrug, "but for some reason I don't really trust him. I feel like he's hiding something. And I know you feel that way too." He gave his sister a grim look. "I don't have to have powers to be able to tell what my twin sister is thinking."

"All the same, he's done nothing but be a great leader," Melody replied, scratching the side of her jaw. "He's a great person and a good friend, I guess." Braiden gave her a curious look. "We all have secrets."

"I'm not doubting that what he's done for you Rangers and for the town isn't great," Mika said slowly, "but I just have this feeling. I've been thinking about it for a while. I mean, when you were a Ranger before, you never were stuck in a house before. I just think there's more to it, that's all." He put his hands up defensively. "I'm not saying that you or the other Rangers are in danger with him in the house, but with anything, I just think there's more than meets the eye in this case."

"All the same," Melody said, using his words from before, "can you at least trust me with this?" Mika nodded.

"Even if you don't trust yourself?" Braiden asked quietly as they reached his car. Melody peered over at him and gave a brief nod. "Of course we trust you, Mel. If there's anyone we don't trust...or starting not to trust, it's the guy who's keeping tabs on all of you"

..

.

"Why didn't you just come to me when you found out you were having trouble paying your rent?" Melody asked Bulk as he kicked at a rock. The two of them were making their way over towards the security box they last saw Spike at. "You realize you're going to have to tell Skull."

"No way," Bulk said, shaking his head. "You realize Skull will _kill_ me."

"Like I hadn't thought of that," Melody said, deadpan and Bulk laughed a little bit. She reached for her wallet. "How much do you need to pay?"

"I'm not taking your money," Bulk said with a shake of his head. Melody stopped walking and put a hand on her hip, giving him an 'Are-you-kidding-me?' face.

"Let me get this straight," Melody commented. "You _let _me nearly get expelled from school for you, you let me find you a place to live out here, and now you're not going to let me pay for your rent?"

Bulk pursed his lips for a moment. "Pretty much," Bulk replied with a nod. "Look, all my life I've been told that I won't amount to anything, that I'll be stuck in a rut." He reached into his pocket for a bandana and wiped at his bald head. "I wanted things to be different for Spike to show him that not everybody is made out of money. But, I didn't intend this to happen."

"Bulkie, Bulkie, Bulkie, I've seen you at your best and at your worst," Melody said with a shake of her head. "You can do anything you set your mind to. And you _are _responsible I mean you _were _a Junior Police Officer _and _a detective. You really impressed me."

"I just wish I handled things better," Bulk replied with a shrug, that's all. "Skull sends money for Spike every month, I just…we used it for—"

"Samurai stuff," Melody said with a sigh.

"Yeah," Bulk replied. "And I know that's irresponsible and everything, but—" He trailed off, letting out a heavy sigh through his nose. He walked up to the security box and knocked loudly on it. There was shuffling and crashing inside it before fingers pushed open the blinds on the door before they snapped shut. The door then burst open and Spike rushed out, ractically sobbing as he threw his arms around the two of them. "Spikey!"

"Spike, you're ok," Melody said with a smile as she hugged him back. She paused for a moment when he loudly sniffed. "You're…you _are_ ok, right?"

"I'm sorry I left," Spike said as he stepped back from the two of them, rubbing at his arm. "I was…I just wanted to help out." He frowned. "I saw the note about the rent and I saw that we didn't have any money so I thought I'd make some."

"And you thought it'd be a good idea to scare me half to death?" Melody asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well…I was looking for you, too," Spike replied. "I was wondering if you guys could help us out."

"Oh," Melody replied simply, frowning.

"Well, I tried getting a job at your dad's place, but that didn't work out," Spike said, counting off on his fingers. "And then I went down to the harbor to work with a seam and…that didn't really work out. And then I tried being a gardener and a valet, and working in a factory and…those didn't work out." His shoulders slumped. "I just kept messing things up."

"You really are your father's son," Bulk said with a shake of his head. He patted Spike on the back. "Spike, everything will be fine, I promise you."

"Well, I'm not doing too bad with this job, it's just kind hot in there," Spike said, nodding towards the booth. "I had the night shift and it was kind of scary." His eyes then went really wide. "But, then the _Power Rangers_ came!"

"Really?" Bulk asked, looking excited. "Did you get a good look at them? See their fighting styles? Anything we could use?"

"No, I was…kinda hiding," Spike replied. "Because of the monster. But, it _sounded_ cool. The Power Rangers are awesome." A goofy grin crossed his face. "Especially the Pink Ranger. Well, your friend Mia is pretty too, but the Pink Ranger is awesome."

"I'll be sure to let Mia know," Melody replied, giving him an odd look before relaxing into a smile, giving him another hug. "I'm just glad you're ok." She let out a grunt of pain when Spike hugged her back, lifting her off her feet. "Too tight, Spike, too tight."

"Sorry," Spike said before setting Melody down. "With this job, we'll be paying the rent bill in no time."

"Let me at least pay for this month, while you wait for more money," Melody offered, pulling her wallet out of her back pocket. "_Please_. Let me just do this one thing for you."

"Well, alright, but I promise I'll pay you back," Bulk replied before Melody slapped a wad of money in to her hand.

"You can pay me back by making sure the two of you stay out of trouble for my sanity," Melody said, clasping her hands together, pleading at her friends. "_Please_."

"Sure thing, Aunty Mel," Spike said with a grin. "Besides, with the Power Rangers being so close by, it's rejuvenated my inspiration. We need to get back to training, right Uncle Bulk? Er, I mean, Sensei?"

"Right, Spike," Bulk replied, looping his arm around Spike's shoulders, shaking him. "Let's go home, bud."

Melody let out a heavy sigh. She didn't know how much longer she could keep her Ranger identity a secret from the two of them. Spike could've easily figured out her secret if he had looked out the window while the Rangers went to face off against the Nighlok. If there was a sign that she'd have to tell them soon, it was that.

* * *

_Due to the events of the past and present, _

_The demons of the underworld will rise up. _

_Only those of just and might will put a stop to the _

_Procession of the King of Death in this realm _

_And will defeat the demons that accompany them, _

_But not without problems of their own. _

_They must overcome their differences, _

_They must learn to accept new power,_

_And though one will die in the stead of another, _

_They will win the battle unless one of them succumbs to the dark forces._

Jayden stared at the roll of paper in his hands reading it over and over, sliding his thumb over the seal of Lady Aurealian before running his fingers through his hair. He stared at the words in shock. The words '_though one will die in the stead of another_' echoed in his brain. If there was ever a time where he wondered if he was truly supposed to be the Red Ranger, it was now. But, _he _knew he wasn't supposed to be the Red Ranger, but the other Rangers didn't. He had to be brave and fearless for them.

"What does it mean?" Mia asked, breaking the silence in the house. After bringing Melody back to the Shiba House, Jaeger and Azure greeted them with the news.

"The first few lines are basically talking about the final battle against Master Xandred in regards to what happened with the past set of Rangers and with you guys," Azure replied slowly, her blue eyes flickering over each Ranger. "The rest of is pretty self explanatory as well."

"It mentions the new power again, just like Mother Nature mentioned," Jayden commented, his chin in his hands. "Do either of you know what that is? It couldn't be the Shogun Mode or anything like that."

"No," Jaeger agreed, shaking his head, "it's not because that's a part of the Samurai life. It came from the Bull Disc, which controls the Bull_zord _which has been a part of the Samurai lifestyle for years and years." He tucked his legs underneath him, adjusting his sitting position on the floor.

"So…one of us is going to die?" Mike asked quietly. He got silence in reply. "Well, that answers my question." He let out a scoff. "So, what are we supposed to do? Just wait for death to come pick us off like a Hollywood movie?"

"There really isn't anything you _can_ do," Azure replied, "Only ti fight for your life and never give up. But, from what I gather, that's all you've been doing anyway."

"Rangers, we can't let this get us down," Jayden said getting to his feet. "We all knew the risks of fighting as Samurai when we took over for our parents." He swallowed thickly. "We all knew what could happen. We could end up like…like my dad. But, I'm not afraid to fight until I have no energy left. Not if it means keeping this city safe and getting rid of Master Xandred once and for all." He looked each Ranger in the eye. "If this isn't for you…if you've been having doubts…if you want to leave, I'm giving you the chance right now to pack your things and go. Otherwise, I'm expecting you to stand by me as my teammates and as my friends, and we'll all continue forward in our mission, no matter what." He then put out his hand. Kevin was the first to put his hand on top of Jayden's, and then Mia, Melody, Antonio, Mike, and Emily followed suit. "Ok, then. We're all in this together."

"Forever," Mia added, giving a nod. "We'll always be Samurai and we'll always fight beside you Jayden, no matter what."

"Jayden, it's a good thing that you're allowing Azure and myself to help you all with training," Jaeger said motioning towards himself and the girl sitting beside him who gave a short bow of thanks. "We think it's going to be essential to what you could possibly be up against next. Especially, if Orion's soul is indeed inside Serrator. There's no telling how he could add more power to the Nighlok."

"You've asked Mel to use her powers during sparring, correct?" Azure asked and Jayden nodded. "Good. The only way for her to really get a grasp on her powers as well as completing Jaeger's role as her guardian is to have her push herself to the limits."

"Was that what happened during sparring?" Mike asked, looking over at Melody. "When you said you used too much of your power at one time?" Melody nodded

"As you know very well, Mel, I haven't done my duty in preparing you for the extent of what your powers hold and that's all on me and I apologize for it," Jaeger said, putting a hand to his chest. "However, with everything you've gone through in your life, it would've been hard for you to get a grasp on how to overcome the effects of the powers unless you've had the experiences that you've recently been receiving. Your powers are very special and it'll help the other Rangers to know just how special and to learn how to defend themselves against you or Serrator if and when the time comes to it."

"As well, Jaeger and I have learned a new development that could possibly help," Azure added. "If your powers become too strong for you to handle; you have two choices. One; you can try to control the powers yourself, which is what Jaeger will be teaching you and two; you can share your powers with another person." Emily let out a gasp. "Which is what I'll be teaching you and I'll be helping the other Rangers learn how to accept the power into their own body and learn how to use it as well."

"When you give your powers to someone else, you're allowing the affects of your powers to lessen, however, they're not as strong as they could be," Jaeger said, taking over the conversation. "However, that brings you another problem."

"Of course it does," Mike muttered, earning an elbow to the side from Emily.

"It's a good thing that you all would be learning how to accept Mel's powers, for if you don't, grave things could happen," Jaeger said with a frown. "You won't die, but some consider it a fate even worse than death however I can't describe it much more than, you'd think even the most insane person the planet was normal."

"I'm not sharing my powers," Melody said, staring at the floor. She looked over at Jaeger and Azure, shaking her head. "I'm not going to do it." She slowly blinked. "It's not just about our mission, it hasn't been _just_ about our mission for the longest time. I know there's risks with everything and anything we've done, but I'm not following through with that one. I'm not going to be held responsible for anything happening to them." She then added quietly, "not again."

"Your powers right now aren't as strong as you can get it," Mentor commented, getting everyone's attention. "From what I can understand, eventually, your powers will mutate out of your control whether you want them to or not. And you know it; you always knew that something like this would make you stronger. You can't deny it now, Mel, you can't!"

"Look, we all trust each other here, right?" Emily asked, speaking up, "and even if we don't, we'll have to learn how. You heard the legend; we have to learn to get over our differences. We're a team. We're a family. We've worked together for this long and we've accomplished so many great things, overcoming things we didn't think we ever could."

"Yeah, like Jayden defeating Deker," Antonio pointed out. "We trusted Jayden that he could get the job done while we were out facing off the Nighlok attack."

"Keep in mind that Deker has returned, Dayu too," Kevin pointed out to him.

"Yes, but with a duel like that, Deker _has _ to be weaker than he already was," Antonio pointed out. "We know that Serrator was the one to make Deker who he is. But, with his first defeat, he must be on his last leg, kind of like the two lives of the Nighlok. One good attack and he's gone."

"You aren't going to duel him, are you?" Mia asked, turning to face Jayden.

"I don't know," Jayden answered slowly. There was no doubt in his mind that Deker was going to seek him out. But, everything was different now with the words that sat on the paper in front of him. "But if I must than I will."

"Jayden—"

"Kevin, we've already been through this, Deker isn't going to let up unless I duel him," Jayden said, briefly closing his eyes. "He threatened to hurt innocent people once if I refused. He might threaten even worse, our families, if I refuse for a second time. I'm not running that risk." _Risk. That word is being used a lot lately. But, that's what we've always been doing. Every fight and every choice we've mad have increased or lowered the risk of success. _"If I have to duel him, then so be it."

"Deker isn't going to go easy on you and neither will Dayu," Melody pointed out to him. "Nor Serrator. We _all_ have rubbed these Nighlok the wrong way and they're going to come back balls to the wall full force."

"Leave Dayu to me," Mia said; a determined look in her eyes. "I made the mistake of trying to save her once. But, I won't do that again. I have a score to settle with her."

"We have a score to settle with _all_ the Nighlok," Jayden said and the Rangers nodded in agreement. _And I have a personal score to settle for my dad. _He then got out of his seat and left the quiet room. Stepping out onto the back porch, he started to pace, tugging at his hair. _I don't know if I can do this. No one told me I had to take all this on when I became the Red Ranger_.

"Are you ok, Jayden?" Mentor asked, stepping in the path of the Red Ranger as he went to take another lap of walking.

"I don't know if I can do this, Ji," Jayden said, shaking his head. "We were all talking about trust in there and here I am keeping the biggest secret from my team." He slowly let out a breath of air through his nose. "I just wish…I wish things were working in our favor."

"With every Nighlok you defeat, things _are _working in your favor," Mentor replied, clasping his walking stick in both hands. "Your father would be very proud of you. You know that."

"Ji," Jayden said as he stopped walking, his back to his mentor. "We all know that Lauren will have to return eventually and I'll have to explain to my team what's been going on." He then slowly turned around to face him. "But, you and I both know there can only be one Red Ranger, the true head of the Shiba Family." He scratched the back of his head. "Dad sacrificed himself to keep us safe and…and I think I have to do the same." He looked Mentor in the eye. "Ji, I think I have to die."

"Jayden, don't say that," Mentor said with a shake of his head. "We don't know who the legend is referring to. We know that this isn't the normal Samurai lifestyle, but we've made it work to our advantage. You have faith in your Ranger team and your friends and they all have faith in you. You've all been taught to never give up, no matter how hard things get. And I haven't seen any of you do that, not once."

"Well, we're going to have a lot of work to do," Jayden said, glancing over at the rack of shinis, waiting to be used, "and very little time in which to do it knowing the Nighlok."

"Yes, we will," Mentor acknowledged.

* * *

**A/N: **Things really don't get easier for the Rangers. But, I have lighthearted moments/chapters coming up as well. And shipping moments galore! lol.

To _guest:_ the reason why I hadn't updated until now was because I was doing a lot of cleaning, moving, and yard work. But, here's the next chapter.

**Fun Fact: **Originally, I was going to have Melody have the power of water, and then I switched it to fire, and then I gave her the power of darkness.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	38. Chapter 38: Emily's Identity Crisis

**.:Chapter Thirty-Eight – Emily's Identity Crisis:.**

* * *

"I'm not doing it."

"You have to learn how to do it at some point."

Melody huffed as she blindly grabbed a piece of fruit out of the fruit basket the next morning before wheeling around to face Jayden, giving him a steely look. "Just drop it, Jayden, I'm not getting within five feet of another horse."

"You might as well drop the subject," Mike commented around a mouthful of cereal, milk dribbling down his chin, "it's like beating a dead horse, pun intended." He then peered over at Melody as she took a bite of the banana that was in her hands. "Mel, you hate—"

Melody gagged spitting out the piece that was in her mouth before shoving the rest of the banana into Emily's hands as she walked past here. "Here, you like bananas."

"Uh, thanks," Emily replied with a weak smile.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Jayden asked. "You fall off? You've done that before. What could it hurt?"

"What could it hurt? My ego, my pride, my ass, my face, and those are the only things I _really_ care about," Melody commented, her words dripping with sarcasm. Emily and Mike started laughing as Jayden shook his head. "Besides, I have Jaeger."

"And how is riding around on his back any different than riding a horse?" Jayden asked, going to the refrigerator, pulling out a carton of orange juice. "I just want my team to be prepared for anything, just in case."

"He won't throw me off," Melody replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"She's got a good point," Mike commented. Jayden looked over at him. Mike widened his eyes and looked around the room before clearing his throat. "But, at the same time, it _is _the Samurai way to learn how to ride horses. Boy am I happy that I know how to ride one." He quickly finished his bowl of cereal, going to the sink to rinse it out. "Hell, it could come in handy for say, one day, I may need to rescue a damsel in distress." He winked over at Emily before making his way out of the kitchen, calling over his shoulder, "I'm getting ready for training."

"A girl would _have _to be in distress if she'd be willing to have Mike help them out," Melody commented.

"Be nice," Emily said to Melody, shoving her shoulder, although she had started laughing. A faint blush tinged her cheeks pink. "Mel, you have nothing to worry about, horses are amazing creatures. They're really sweet."

"About as sweet as a lemon," Melody shot back, and made a face. "Hm. That wasn't as snarky as I was hoping it'd be."

"I think you're losing your touch," Jayden commented before tilting his head back, drinking straight from the orange juice carton.

"Me?" Melody replied, looking shocked, putting a hand over her heart, "never!" She then grabbed the last apple from the fruit basket before moving to the refrigerator, opening the door. "We need to go shopping."

"Which is where I'm going," Mentor commented, walking into the room, adjusting the bag that was draped around his shoulders. "You all have been training hard lately, I'm going to bring back something special for you. Jayden, would you come with me? This is a big shopping run."

Jayden nodded as she took another gulp of orange juice before wiping his mouth with the back of his arm, throwing away the carton. "Let me tell Kevin that he needs to run training," he said before pointing his finger in Melody's direction. "I'm not done with this conversation."

"Not surprised," Melody commented, her eyebrow twitching. Mentor grabbed the car keys off of the counter and followed Jayden out of the room. Melody then turned towards Emily. "If you and Mike are going to make it obvious with your flirting, I suggest you don't do it around Jayden."

"What are you talking about?" Emily asked before taking a bite out of the banana in her hand. Melody gave him a pointed look. "What, the _wink_? That was nothing. He does it all the time. He winks at you and Mia, too."

"Yeah, but he's not interested in me or Mia," Melody replied as she sat down on a stool, facing her. Emily kept her gaze down on the banana in her hand, peeling it. "Antonio winks at m because he's flirting, despite knowing he's not going to get a chance, because, well, that's just Antonio." She shrugged. "But, hey, you might be right. I mean, flirting is a bit of harmless fun. We all do it instinctively, at some level or another."

"I don't flirt with Mike," Emily said with a shake of her head.

"Trust me, you do," Melody replied before taking another bite of her apple. She put her hands up defensively when Emily planted a hand on her hip. "I'm just saying that _I _had fallen down a mountain practically scraping half the skin off my ass, I'd be looking at the person who saved me in a different light, not only that, but I'd be climbing up warp speed to get to the closest flat area."

"I'm assuming that you're hinting at a story that's happened to you at some point?" Emily asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, I'm not saying this for my health," Melody commented with a small smile and Emily laughed, sitting down in front of her. "It was shortly after a bad fight against this guy named Rito Repulsa, brother to the evil witch Rita Repulsa. He did something we never thought would happen, he actually was able to destroy our zords and our powers." Emily's eyes popped open. "Yeah, I know. So, we had to go on this quest to find new powers, which ended up being our ninjetti powers. We went through the Desert of Despair and, naturally, we had some mishaps on the way; getting burned by rocks that burst into flames, nearly getting sucked into the ground, and what happened to me."

She got off her stool and walked around the island, rolling up her pants leg to show a scar that curved around her right knee cap. "Fell into a crevice and busted my knee," she commented when she noticed Emily's grimace. "It just looks bad. It acts up every now and then, but generally, it's ok. So anyway, I was panicking. I couldn't see the bottom of it, my knee was hurting real bad, practically popped it out of its socket, and the only thing stopping me from falling down even farther was holding onto a rock about the size of your average watermelon."

Melody moved back to where she had been sitting. "My friend Rocky was the one who helped me get out. I had always thought he was cute, but I seemed to have noticed it more after that. Hell, I thought any new guy at Angel Grove High was cute mainly because I hadn't grown up with them. I didn't date him until a long while later, when we had the Zeo powers, but still. At first, I thought it was…what is that called…that thing where you end up getting false feelings for people that save you?"

"Super Hero Syndrome?" Emily asked. Melody snorted.

"That's ironic, but yeah," she agreed with a nod. "That's what I had thought it was, but after thinking about it, I realized that I had liked him for a while. I mean, he was there for me after Jason, my first boyfriend, and I had taken a break while he went off to a Peace Conference. And I was there for him after his girlfriend broke up with him—although that was pretty complicated in itself, but I'm not going to go into that."

She let out a sigh. "Anyway, we just clicked, and it didn't hurt that we had a lot in common, but our friendship was an interesting one. We helped each other with a lot of things; like when his estranged father wanted to see him after years of no communication and he helped keep Kim and I in good spirits after our Power Coins were taken. I didn't even notice that we had gotten closer. He's one of my best friends to this day that I hadn't ever really lost contact with; he's one of the few. And I see that same friendship with you and Mike."

"We're just friends," Emily replied.

Melody laughed. "I know you are," she said with a nod, "given the rules of the house, that's all you really _can_ be. I'm just saying, I won't be surprised if something else happens. You obviously like him, whether you've realized it or not. If it's any consolation, I think you two look cute together, and I don't normally toss out that word."

"Well thank you, I feel honored," Emily said with a laugh.

"You should," Melody joked, taking one more bite out of her apple before throwing it across the room into the trashcan. "Come on, we better get to training before Kevin starts getting on our case." The two girls hurried to their rooms and changed into their work out clothes before joining Mia, Kevin, and Mike in the living room.

"Alright, Em, I want you to start with fifty reps on the punching bag on each hand," Kevin said to the Yellow Ranger. He put a hand on her shoulder. "And I really want you to rail into that thing, let out any frustrations or emotions, _everything_ into that punching bag."

"Like she'd give you any less," Mike commented, passing her some tape.

Kevin merely shrugged, as Emily grasped the end of the tape, pulling it off before she started rapping it around her fingers. She made it a point to not look over at Melody, but she felt a hot blush climb up her neck and burn her cheeks.

"Just make sure you tape your hands well, you can jam your fingers pretty easily," Kevin said, turning towards the Yellow Ranger after a brief eye roll towards Mike. "We don't want a repeat of what happened to Antonio."

"His little piggies turned into sausages _real_ quick," Mike commented, causing everyone to laugh.

"Is he out fishing again?" Mia asked from where she was sitting on the floor. Melody was sitting across from her, their feet pressed together. Mia had Melody's hands in hers and was leaning backwards, stretching the Purple Ranger's back. "With Azure and Jaeger working out how to train us, you think he'd be here."

"As long as he follows my work out schedule for him, he shouldn't have a problem keeping in shape," Melody said into the floor, her voice muffled. She leaned back, pulling Mia forward. "Speaking of which, we have another beach work out coming up soon." She got groans until she said, "we'll be swimming."

"Thank god," Emily commented, as she flexed her fingers before making her way over to the punching bag. She gently pushed it and waited for it to swing back at her to test out the wait. She let out a breath of air before she started slamming her fists into the bag. It stung at first, but once she picked up a rhythm, she didn't pay attention to it.

He fists slammed into the bag, over and over as she silently kept count. She could hear the other Rangers moving around her, followed by the familiar crashing sound of the shinais, but she tried not to focus on it. Punch. Pull fist back. Punch. Pull fist back. She tried to keep her mind on the task at hand, but her mind wandered to her earlier conversation with Melody.

_Do I like Mike? _She wondered. Her rhythm slipped. Breathing hard, she stopped the bag, holding it steady for a moment before she started again. _Does he like me? We are good friends. And he did_ _take the time to listen to me when I was missing Serena. He's made this transition so much easier._ _I couldn't do this without him._

WHAM. She blinked in surprise at her sudden strong hit. The chain holding the work out mechanism creaked as it swung backwards. Her arms and shoulders were starting to ache with the effort, but she was happy with the results. She had been getting tans, and gaining muscle mass, she wasn't the little country girl she was when she arrived at the Shiba House.

During her time there she learned how to have friends and to be a friend. She learned how to work hard in a fight and to not give up. She hated giving up. It wasn't in her nature. She loved being able to prove people wrong, that she wasn't someone that could be pushed around, and Samurai training really helped her with that. She had improved immensely and wasn't holding the team back anymore.

_But, Mike never thought that way. He never thought I was holding him back_, she thought, feeling a smile come to her face. _He's really helped me out a lot. Just like Mel's relationship with Rocky. _Emily let out a breath of air, barely realizing that she had been holding it and stopped the bag from swinging, resting her forehead against the scratchy material.

She looked up when she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned her head to face Kevin. "Yeah?"

"Good job," he said, a smile coming to his face. "Get some water, and stretch. We're going to be sparring each other in a little bit. You'll be paired with Mike. I'm going to have Mia and Mel spar with each other first and then I'm going to trade out with Mia."

"So, I won't be able to spar with Mel?" Emily asked, wiping sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Well, we're going to have her using some of her powers while she fights, and we don't want to wear her out or make her use more than she needs to, especially since we all know how quickly out of hand sparring can get," Kevin said, his lips twitching briefly.

"So…what, you don't think I could handle it?" Emily asked, putting her hands on her hips. Kevin open and closed his mouth for a moment, but Emily continued to stare at him, waiting for an answer.

"Just…well, in case something goes wrong…I don't think—"

"You don't think I could handle it," Emily repeated, this time as more of a statement than a question.

To be honest, she didn't know if she _could _handle Melody if something did go wrong. She was knocked out cold the last time her powers got too much of her, but she would've liked to have someone at least back her up and think she was tough enough to handle something like that. She fought Nighloks on a day to day basis for crying out loud!

"Look, Em—"

"Don't worry about it, Kev," Emily said with a shake of his head. "You're in charge, it's your call." She then turned on her heels and made her way into the kitchen. She pulled open the refrigerator door and grabbed one of the last few water bottles left. Twisting off the top, she quickly drank the water, letting out a satisfying sigh.

_I just don't get it. I've done just as much as they have; I've worked just as hard. And they still think I'm a little kid_. Replacing the cap onto her water bottle, she made her way back into the indoor training room, sitting down on the little step, watching as Mia and Melody sparred.

Sparring was something she liked partaking in herself as well as watching. It was cool to see two people with different martial arts backgrounds show their different styles as they practice with each other. It made you think on the fly and keep light on your toes and it was a learning experience, no one had the same fighting style and you weren't always going to be fighting the same person.

"You ok?" Mike asked, tapping her thigh with his shoe. He was sitting in the doorway, his back against the doorframe. He tilted his head to the side, peering at her. "You seem…different today."

"Just thinking," Emily replied, giving him a smile, "about everything we've learned lately from Jaeger and Azure. It puts everything into perspective, you know?" _You guys still don't think I can hold my own. Maybe I should have stayed home when I had the chance. _But she knew that Serena wouldn't have been happy with her if she had done that. But, Serena seemed to be doing better. Maybe it wouldn't have been a long time until she was back to 100% again.

Emily watched as Mia and Kevin traded places and Kevin went on to spar against Melody. She watched as the two of them bowed towards each other before sinking into different fighting stances, starting to face off against each other. Cries hit the air as they jumped, flipped, punched, kicked, and blocked each other's strikes.

Their fighting styles were obviously different from each other, and so was Mia's. Kevin was more straight laced with his fighting, seeming kind of stiff as he fought, but he had powerful attacks and when give the chance would explode in a fury of well calculated, practiced, and timed maneuvers. Mia was more fluid with her fighting style, transitioning easily from one fight move to another, seeming to flow energy around her body and into each punch and kick, quickly and effectively. She didn't know what her fighting style was. There wasn't really a way for her to look at herself and really figure it out, but she was fine with how she fought. She was taught by her mother, who was a great Ranger.

_Maybe it's not enough_, Emily thought, slowly letting out a breath of air. _Maybe because I started my training so late, I am missing something that they had all learned._ She tilted her head to the side, as she watched her friends spar, running her hands together. She looked down at her calloused hands before slowly curling them into fists. They were her battle scars, proof that she did work as hard as the others. She was just as tough. She glanced sideways at Mike a hint of a smile coming to her face. _And I'll prove it_.

Hearing a scream, she turned back to the training area and winced as she watched Kevin and Melody go crashing to the ground, each other trying to knock the other over in a final attempt to win the sparring match. "Are you ok?" she called, getting to her feet, hurrying over to them.

"Yeah, we're ok," Kevin said, blinking open his eyes. He shook his head, getting to his hands and knees before sitting back on his heels. He offered his sweaty hand to Melody, who took it and he helped her to her feet. "Good work."

"You, too," Melody replied, clapping Kevin on the shoulder, before rolling hers. "That arm lock grip was good. I barely had time to block it."

"Alright, Mike and Emily, it's your turn," Kevin said, using his uniform to wipe the sweat from his face. "Go when I tell you."

Emily nodded over at Kevin as she moved to stand opposite of Mike, who let out a heavy sigh as he got up, as if the fight wasn't going to take long and he was wasting his time. Emily knew that she may have been looking too into a simple expel of air, but it kind of hurt. She watched as he sank into a fighting stance, before doing the same. Neither of them moved, waiting for Kevin's signal.

_Beat Mike and you've proven that you can handle yourself, that you're tough, _Emily thought, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet, shaking out some nerves before slowly letting out a breath of air, before relaxing into her fighting style once again.

"Go."

Emily backed up a few steps as Mike suddenly came towards her, kicking and punching. She shot out her arms and legs, blocking each attack. He dropped to knock her off her feet with a sweep and she quickly flipped over him, lifting her leg to aim a roundhouse kick into his side, but he spun out of the way.

His eyebrows were raised slightly and he gave her an amused look. Then it quickly faded and his lips twitched as he jumped in the air, twisting as he aimed for a kick at her head. Emily quickly dropped and kicked at his ankles with a sweep. Mike fell onto his back before quickly jumping back up to his feet.

"You've got it, Em," Mike commented and Emily couldn't help but smile. Mike smiled back before punching repeatedly at her. Emily blocked each attack before swinging her arm towards him, wanting to cuff the side of his head, but Mike quickly ducked out of the way. He grabbed her arm and spun once in a circle before letting go. Emily rushed towards the punching bag and grabbed a hold of it, stopping herself from colliding into it, face first.

She spun around to face him and saw a worried look briefly cross his face. His eyes then widened as she jumped forward, swinging her foot up into the air to kick him. He swung his hands down to block the attack and she swung her arm at him again, which he ducked. She dropped to the ground, sweeping her legs at his ankles again, and he jumped, flipping through the air, landing hard on his back. A gasp rushed out of her throat.

"Mike," she called, hurrying over to him. "Are you ok?" Mike's head snapped towards her and he grabbed a hold of her upper arms. Emily let out a scream as her world tilted and she found herself lying on her back, a moment later. "Ow."

"Win," Mike said, breathing hard as she sat up.

_Dang it_, Emily thought with a frown as she sat up. She could see Kevin's black and blue shoes making their way over to her and she turned to face him.

"Good _job_, Mike," Kevin said with a smile towards the Green Ranger. He then crouched down beside Emily, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Emily, you are _too_ nice. You are gonna need to toughen up."

_Like I don't know that already?_ Emily thought with a brief nod.

"In case you haven't noticed, Mike practically body slammed her," Melody called from where she was sitting. She looked over at the Green Ranger. "No offense, but that was a pretty douchey move."

"Part of sparring Is trying to figure out how to outwit your opponent," Mike commented.

"So you took advantage of the fact that she cares about you and your well being?" Melody asked, raising her eyebrows. Emily turned towards her, widening her eyes. Melody briefly shook her head. "It's not like she'd apologize to a Nighlok for stabbing them with her Spin Sword."

"What's done is done," Kevin called over to her, getting to her feet.

"Yeah, fine," Mike said, waving his hand in the air.

"Whatever," Melody agreed, looking over at Mia, who was now showered and fully dressed. Mia was holding a large flier in her hands.

"Hey, Em," Mia called, unfolding the poster. She showed it to the Yellow Ranger, wiggling it around. "Did you forget about the big sale?"

Emily's eyes widened slightly when the big orange 70% off advertisement caught her eye. "Oh yeah," she replied, a wide smile coming to her face. She barely noticed the pain in her back as she jumped to her feet. "The big sale!"

"Come on," Mia replied with a smile.

"Oh, but," Emily trailed off, looking over at Kevin, giving him a pleading look.

"Go on, Em, you've been working hard," Mike said, giving her a small smile. "We can pick this up later." Emily stepped towards him and gently hit him on the arm, freezing for a moment when she noticed that he had opened his arms for a hug…or was she imagining it? She gave him a quick smile before hurrying out.

"Thanks, I'll see you later," she called over her shoulder. "Mia, just let me shower and change real quick." She then turned towards Melody. "Mel, you want to come with?"

"Nah, you guys go on ahead," Melody replied with a shake of her head. "You two have been planning this shopping trip for a while. I don't want to impose."

"Nonsense, it'll be fun," Mia said grabbing her arm. Emily, laughing, grabbed the other and the two of them started dragging the Purple Ranger out of the room. "We haven't had a girl's day in a long time."

"Seeing as I have no choice, I'll see you boys later," Melody commented as she was dragged out of the room.

"This'll be fun," Emily said as she let go of Melody's arm, straightening. Her back stopped stinging, but her pride was hurt more. She was tired of messing up. She was tired of being weak and especially tired of being pitied. _Maybe I just need a whole new look._

* * *

At the mall, Mia and Emily were having the time of their life going back and forth between racks of clothes and the dressing rooms, trying on different combinations of outfits. Emily's arms were filled with clothes that she was going to try on next. Mia was already in a dressing room and Melody was sitting on a bench, waiting for them, having already bought clothes that she wanted. She also had a pile of clothes on her lap, the ones that Mia and Emily didn't want.

"Would you cheer up?" Emily asked the Purple Ranger with a small laugh. "You look like you're in hell."

"Its close enough," Melody joked. "I just don't get why you have to try on so many different clothes combinations. I just look for what I like, find it in my size, pay and go."

"Thrills and chills," Emily said with a brief eye roll as she gave her friend a teasing smile. Melody smirked back at her before shrugging. "Come on, it's a 70% off _clothes _sale. Not a 70% off fun sale."

"Cute," Melody said, actually laughing. "I _did_ find two pairs of shoes, though. So that's something."

"Hey Emily," Mia said as she stepped out of the dressing room, wearing what looked like a safari uniform inspired dress. "I grabbed this shirt for you, I thought you'd like it."

Emily turned around to see Mia holding up a hanger with a yellow t-shirt on it. It had ears, eyes nose, and mouth of a dog, indicating that the rest of the shirt was its color and body. "Thanks, Mia," Emily said with a small smile. "It's cute, but I have another idea in mind."

She indicated the clothes in her arms before making her way into another dressing room. She quickly changed into the clothes that she was holding, and took a deep breath before stepping out to show her friends. "So what do you think? Do I look tough or what?" She jutted out her hip and crossed her arms over her chest. She watched as Mia and Melody exchanged glances through her rose tinted sunglasses.

"Well?" she asked, looking down at her clothes. She had on dog-tags, a white t-shirt, a wide brown belt, camoflauge pants, and black, shiny, boots.

"Wow," Melody commented, raising her eyebrows. "It's…different."

"Emily," Mia said slowly as if choosing her words carefully, "interesting but...naaah."

"But, what?" Emily asked, feeling her shoulders drop. She pushed the sunglasses up into her hair. "I'm just trying to be tough like you guys and the others." She twisted her fingers in front of her before turning towards the mirror, moving into some fighting stances.

"Emily, you're tough in your own way," Mia said, walking up behind her friend, putting her hand on her shoulders, gently shaking her. "You don't need to change your image for that."

"Especially if you're trying to go for GI Jane," Melody commented, raising her eyebrows. "But I love those sunglasses." She held onto the clothes as she crossed one leg over the other. "Don't be surprised if I steal them."

_Even a new look doesn't help_, Emily thought, turning back to face the mirror. _They all still think of me as a little kid they had to look after. _"Kevin's right, though," she whispered. "I need to toughen up. I'm too nice." She looked at Mia's reflection. "No offense, but I think that shirt is too childish for me."

"Em, you have a shirt like that in white," Mia pointed out.

"_I just don't want it, ok_?" Emily asked, turning around to face her friend, more bite in her words then she meant to. Mia's eyes widened slightly before they returned to normal. "Sorry. I just really don't want it. I've been meaning to go through my closet and get rid of some old clothes."

"You just never really cared about your looks before," Melody said to her. "What's with the sudden change? Mia's right. Everyone's tough in their own way."

"You haven't wanted to amp up your style before?" Emily asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. _Why are they making this such a big deal? It's just a change of clothes._

"You're kidding right?" Melody asked with a snort. "Kimberly, and then Aisha's, shopping sprees drove me insane, but if I hadn't tagged a long with them all those times, I'd still be wearing basketball jerseys and cargo shorts." Mia's upper lip curled. "Yeah, I'm not too proud of how I used to dress."

"It's like you said; look for something you like, try it on, and pay for it," Emily said, smiling at Melody. The Purple Ranger's jaw dropped slightly, shocked that her own words were used against her.

"Well, yeah…but—"

"So, I'm going to buy these," Emily said with a grin. "That'll show Kevin."

"Oh, please don't tell me you're changing your look because of a boy," Mia said with a pleading tone.

"_Especially_ if it's Kevin," Melody added. "He wouldn't know a good look even if he was walking a run way." Mia silently looked over at her. "Just saying."

"Less insults next time, please," Mia said and Melody gave an over the top grin and a double thumbs up. Mia rolled her eyes, turning back to Emily. "What did Kevin have to say? Maybe you misunderstood him."

"Oh, this is about him telling you to toughen up," Melody said and Emily nodded. "Oh, Em, Kevin's just saying that. You _are _tough and you know it. Remember? No one else could fend off Negatron's insults, but _you_ could. Ignoring all the mean things people say about you is tough. And you could do it."

_It's not the same_, Emily thought with a shake of her head. "Relax, guys, no one said you had to buy the clothes. I just want to try it out." She let out a deep breath of air. I just want to be taken seriously." _I'm not Emily the little kid, damn it, I'm Emily the Samurai._

* * *

**A/N: **This is the earliest during the day I've had achater up. lol. I almost did this out of order. I had started using some scenes for _Sticky Situation_ (since I write a lot of original scenes, especially if they're fluff filled or funny, before hand), then realized that _Strange Case _was really the next episode. I loved this episode and couldn't wait to get here.

Hope you guys liked this chapter.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	39. Chapter 39: Feeding the Hungry

**.:Chapter Thirty-Nine – Feeding the Hungry:.**

* * *

"Are you sure you have everything?" Melody asked, her words dripping with sarcasm as she talked around a handle of a shopping bag in her teeth. "You may have left…oh, I don't know…_half the shop_ back by the fitting room."

"You're just mad because I got the lat pair of those high tops," Mia commented, shaking a bag in Melody's face, laughing a little bit as the girls made their way out of the store.

"No, I'm mad that you clearly don't understand the rule of dibs," Melody replied, raising her eyebrows. "I called dibs on those shoes, they should be mine."

"You don't even like _pink_," Mia pointed out to her, shaking her head.

"I can paint 'em," Melody replied.

Emily laughed, shaking her head as she listened to her friend argue. She never thought she'd see the day where two people she knew actually fought over shoes of all things. It was pretty funny to watch as Melody was probably the most chill person Emily had met. She never thought she would see her fighting over clothes.

"Guys, they're just shoes," she said, throwing her arms into the air.

Melody practically hit herself in the face with a bag that hung off her arm as she reached up to remove the one that sat between her teeth. "No, these aren't _just _shoes. They're _my _shoes and Mia—" She stopped when she heard her Samuraizer go off, feeling it vibrate in her pocket. "Could someone else get that? My hands are full."

Mia reached into her pocket and pulled out her Samuraizer, flipping it open with her thumb. "Mia here," she said into her Samuraizer. She nodded as she listened to the voice on the other end. "Uh huh. Ok, Emily, Mel and I are close to that location. We're on our way." The three girls then took off running down the street.

"Where's the Nighlok?" Emily asked, her bags swinging back and forth, knocking into her sides as she pumped her arms.

"Not far from here, near the arena," Mia replied, turning her head to face Emily. "We can get there faster on foot, but the boys have already been notified." She then let out a curse as the show box swung into her knee cap.

"Bet you wish _I _got the shoes now, don't cha?" Melody asked with a cheeky grin and Mia shot her a glare.

Emily couldn't help but laugh at the exchange as she ran behind the two girls. She noticed with a frown that she had fallen a little ways behind the two girls. She was still keeping up, but her legs were tarting to burn slightly. As were her arms. As the girls rounded the corner, she looked around for a place to store their bags.

"Here, over here," Emily called after the two girls. Mia and Melody stopped and doubled back to her as Emily nodded towards a clump of bushes. They threw their bags over the bushes, making sure they were hidden before continuing their run towards the city arena.

"_Hey, Em_!"

Emily turned and saw the boys across the street, rushing towards them. Emily waved a hand and watched as they sprinted across the street (once it was safe) and joined the girls in the run towards the area. Distant screams got louder and louder as they zeroed in on the location of the Nighlok. Taking a set of stairs two at a time, the Rangers came to a stop when they saw people fighting over food, trying to stuff it in their mouths.

"It's a massive pig out," Mike commented, his jaw dropping.

"What's going on here?" Kevin asked, looking around at all of the hungry people. "Why aren't they running away from the Nighlok?"

"I don't think they notice him, Kev," Melody said, shaking her head back and forth. Her upper lip curled as she watched some rip a half eaten hotdog out of someone's hand and shove it into their mouth, chomping quickly. "Urgh, I wish I could stop watching it. It's like a train wreck." Her mouth twisted to the sid. "It's like Ravenator…only worse."

"He's…he's drinking _ketchup_," Antonio commented, making a face, holding onto his stomach.

"Rangers, focus," Jayden commanded, before turning towards the Nighlok. "That's enough, Nighlok!"

"Well, look who's coming to dinner?" the Nighlok asked, spinning around to face the Rangers. "The Samurai Rangers."

"And you're about to get your just desserts," Emily called over to him. She felt her lip curl up into her smirk. _Now's my chance to show them how tough I can be_.

Jayden briefly looked over at her before facing the Nighlok again. His hands curled into fists by his side. "What have you done to these people?" Jayden asked.

"My black dirt creates an appetite for self destruction," the Nighlok, Grinataur , explained, cackling as he watched the civilians falling all over the ground trying to eat every last morsel of food. "Now these dummies will eat, and eat, and _eat_."

"This ends right now," Jayden shouted as he reached for his morpher. "Samuraizer!"

"Go go Samurai," the Rangers shouted together. They drew their respective kanji in the air, morphing into their suits. They pulled their Spin Swords out of their sheathes and charged the Nighlok, shouting loud battle cries.

_Ok, Em. You can do this. Show them how tough you are,_ she thought, breathing heavily as she raced towards the Nighlok. But, before they could reach him, he called on the Moogers and the footsoldiers rushed towards the Rangers.

Emily smiled to herself as she struck each Mooger that was in her path. She could fight just as hard as the other Rangers, and be just as triumphant. A cry escaped past her lips when she tripped over another Mooger that Mia had kicked into her path. She hit the ground hard, pain shooting up into her wrist. She rolled over onto her back and brought up her Spin Sword when she saw a Mooger aiming a strike at her. _Clang. _The metal to his weapon clashed against hers.

_Come on, Em, don't give up_, Emily thought, pushing back against the Mooger as hard as she could.

"Hang on, Em," Mike's voice reached her ears. She turned her head slightly and saw his green boots come charging towards her. Before she could do anything, he struck the Mooger in the back. The foot soldier let out a cry of pain before slinking off. He leaned to the side and struck the Mooger that was running towards him with his foot. "You alright? How you holding up?"

"Fine," Emily replied through clenched teeth as she got to her feet. "Just fine." Mike gave her a thumbs up before he ran off to take on some more Moogers.

Emily stared after him, shaking her head. _I could've handled it. He didn't even give me a chance. _Mike was her best friend and was easily looking out for her, but she couldn't help but be annoyed. Did he think she needed him to take care of her? Or was he just being who he was? She looked across to where Grinataur was watching the battle, preparing to pick his spot.

"I've got to prove that I'm as tough as the rest of them," she muttered to herself before jumping up onto the ledge that the Nighlok was standing. She swung down her Spin Sword and gasped in shock when the Nighlok grabbed the blade of the sword, swinging her in a circle.

"Let's see how this grabs ya," the Nighlok declared, throwing her arm up.

Now uncovered, the Nighlok started repeatedly punching Emily in the chest. Emily grunted in pain with each strike, but tried to continue her offensive attack. But, with each direct hit, the breath of was knocked out of her. Before she knew it, she was lying on the ground with the Nighlok standing above her. Emily rolled onto her side, coughing as she gasped for air.

"You have to be tough," Emily whispered to herself, slowly pushing herself to her feet. She gripped her Spin Sword tightly in her fist, pushing the tip to the ground, using it to help her get to her feet. "You can't back down." She swallowed thickly, lifting her Spin Sword to point it at the Nighlok. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Let's test out that theory, shall we," Grinataur commented, producing his sword. Emily's breath caught in her throat when she saw a blinding red light. Her body was suddenly on fire as she was struck agai and again. She could hear the Nighlok's laughter ringing in her ears as she collapsed to the ground, curling in on herself. "How about a game, Yellow Ranger?"

_Get up, Em_, Emily coached herself as she took in a shuddering gasp of air, sitting up. _You have to keep going. You know Jayden would. You know Mike would. _She rolled over onto her hands and knees and slowly pushed herself to her feet.

"How about a game of dodge ball?" the Nighlok asked, producing two balls which he threw at her feet.

She covered her eyes as the ground exploded beneath her feet. Flames shot up in front of her helmet, blinding her. The force of the explosions knocked her back, knocking the wind out of her lungs a second time. She collapsed to her knees, feeling the energy slip away from her as she de-morphed just before she hit the ground.

"Here's spitting at _you, _kid," Grinataur said.

Emily looked up, blinking rapidly as her vision swam. Her ears were ringing and she swallowed repeatedly, trying to clear her ears of the sound. She tried to push herself up, but her muscles screamed with pain. She noticed the Nighlok prepping for another attackwas just getting her bearings back when she saw Grinataur preparing to attack again.

She heard Mia call her name and could only watch as the two Rangers ran towards her, taking the strike for her. They fell to the ground, de-morphing on the way. "Mia! Kevin!" she cried out to them.

Kevin was the first to get back onto his hands and knees. A strange expression crossed his face as he licked his lips, looking around. "I'm _starving_!" he commented.

"So, very...thirsty!" Mia added, swallowing thickly.

_Whatever happened the people must've happened to them, _Emily thought as a sinking feeling rushed through her stomach. "They're just going to keep eating and eating." _This is all my fault. _They had been hit with Grinataur's attack, they had been affected by his power, and all because she had acted too hastily, putting herself in harm's way to prove how tough she was. "_They've been hit_!"

"I'm kinda busy," Melody replied, spinning in a circle, her sword locked with the Moogers.

"Antonio, Mike cover, Emily!" Jayden called, turning away from the Mooger he was attacking. "I'll help as soon as I can."

Emily craned her neck, watching as the Green and Gold Samurai Rangers rushed towards her, two dirt bombs flew out of the Nighlok's trunk-like mouth, striking them in the sholder. Mike and Antonio's knees buckled and they dropped to the ground, de-morphing.

Mike spat onto the ground. "It feels like I had sand sandwich," he groaned, sticking out his tongue. "I'm starving. Where can I get another?" He looked around with wild eyes.

"Oh, I am so hungry," Antonio groaned, rubbing his stomach. He said something in Spanish, licking his lips.

She heard a loud cry and saw Jayden finishing the attacking Nighloks before helping Melody finish off the ones she was fighting. Then the two of them turned, Jayden took down the last of the Moogers, and seeing he was now alone in the fight, headed straight for Grinataur.

"Look out!" Emily shrieked as the two Rangers skidded to a stop in front of her. They turned to face the Nighlok and were struck in the chest by his dirt bombs. Jayden let out a wheezing cough, gripping his chest and Melody dropped to her knees, de-morphing.

"Aw man, I'm out of dirt," the Nighlok complained. A cracking sound hit the air. "And I'm drying out." He craned his neck to look over at Emily who was still lying on the ground. "After a dip in the Sanzu River, I'll get you like all the rest."

Jayden dropped to his knees, clutching his throat, rapidly licking his lips. "Thirsty," he choked out. "Need something to drink."

"I'm so hungry," Melody groaned, holding her stomach with her arm. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, looking over at Jayden. "You went shopping. We have food at home!" A delighted look crossed her face. "Let's get going." She walked over to Emily and hauled her to her feet.

"I've gotta fix this," Emily said with a shake of her head, looking back and forth at all of the other Rangers. "This is all my fault. Guys, I'm so sorry."

"It's just a minor set back, Em," Jayden said, clapping her on the shoulder. "We'll get him once he returns." He licked his lips. "In the mean time, let's get back. I feel like I could eat a horse."

"Good thing we're not too far from the Shiba House," Mike said, stretching his arms over his head before scratching at his stomach. "The sooner we get back, the sooner we can eat."

* * *

The Rangers made it back to the Shiba House a while later—after retrieving the girls' shopping bags—complaining of hunger and thirst as they made their way to the Shiba Family car, and all the way home. Emily, who had been sitting in the passenger seat earlier, glanced over at Mentor who was driving, and listening to all the complaints. His knuckles were practically white as he gripped the steering wheel in annoyance. He had to pull over a few times to stop Mike from getting into the back of the purchased food was sitting. As soon as they got _to_ the Shiba House, all hell broke loose.

"Move it or lose it, people, those Cheese Puffs are calling my name," Melody shouted as she unbuckled herself. "I call dibs!" She dove across Mike and Mia's laps before practically throwing herself over the back seat, trying to reach the bag with the desired food.

"Jesus, Mel, at least wait for everything to be put inside," Kevin said calmly, shaking his head as he unbuckled his seat belt. "We have some more food in there." With that, he threw open the side door, launching himself out of the car. "Out of the way!"

Emily grunted in pain when the other Rangers charged after him, shoving her out of the way and onto the ground. _What the hell? _Emily asked, rubbing her hip, where she had struck a rock in the lawn as she hit the ground. "Mentor, I'll help you with those," she offered, walking to the back of the escalade to grab the last remaining shopping bags that Mentor Ji couldn't hold.

"Thank you, Emily," Mentor replied, as she jumped up, grasping the handle to close the back door. He let out a heavy sigh. "It's not going to be pretty in there."

"I don't doubt it," Emily said with a frown as she followed Mentor into the house.

She could hear stomping feet, muffled shouts, and clattering as they made their way into the kitchen. She cringed as she pushed the sliding door open and her jaw dropped, and she nearly dropped the bags in her arms as she watched her friends destroy the kitchen as they looked around for something to eat..

Antonio was shouting something in Spanish as he shoved pretzels into his mouth. Mike was shoving spoonfuls of peanut butter into his mouth, Kevin had his arms filled with rolls and bread as he rushed over to the table to set them down. Mia was ripping open slices of cheese and shoving that into her mouth. Jayden was bouncing up and down, shouting at the microwave to cook his popcorn faster, and Melody had the ice cream out, shoveling it in.

"This is crazy!" Mentor gasped, his eyes popping open as he looked around at the other Rangers.

"And it's all because of me," Emily groaned, raking her fingers through her hair. "They took that hit because I was trying to prove that I was tough."

"Stupid microwave!" Jayden shouted before hurrying into the pantry, grabbing a bag of chips, ripping it open. Chips went flying everywhere and he dropped to the ground, picking them up as fast as he could. As Mike ran to the fruit basket to grab bananas, he started shouting at the Green Ranger for stepping on his food.

"Cheese Puffs, cheese puffs, cheese puffs," Melody chanted when she spotted Mentor and Emily. She dropped the ice cream carton and the spoon that was in her hands and rushed over to Mentor, grabbing a bag that was in his hands. She grabbed food items, throwing them over her shoulder if they weren't what she wanted. "Ah ha!" She stuck her tongue out at Mia who was sitting at the table, dumping cereal into her mouth. "I called dibs so you can't have them."

"Give them to me," Mia snapped, reaching for the bag of snacks.

"Aw, go and eat your shoes," Melody replied, before holding the back protectively in her arms, spitting at Mia as she walked away.

"More food!" Antonio declared, haphazardly dropping the bowl of pretzels onto the table, grabbing the bags from Emily's arms with such ferocity, that she nearly fell over.

"Food!" the other Rangers repeated, tearing through the bags to look for something to eat. Mike grabbed onto a head of lettuce at the same time a Mia and they started fighting over it.

"Jaeger! Azure," Emily called as she ran over to the two of them, trying to grab their arms. "We need help in here." There was a flash of light and the two guardians appeared in the middle of the kitchen, looking around wildly. Azure let out a startled yowl and jumped onto the refrigerator as Kevin barreled past her, holding tightly to a jar of salsa.

"What's going on?" Jaeger asked, ripping the jar out of Kevin's hands before he could start inhaling the spicy dip. "Why are they all so hungry?"

"And grabby?" Azure asked as a half eaten banana went flying through the air. She hurried forward and caught Kevin after he slipped on the banana peel, trying to get the salsa jar back.

"Nighlok attack," Emily replied. "It makes them want to eat. We have to stop them." Jaeger went in one direction, running after Antonio who was drinking out of the pickle jar, and Azure tried to keep Kevin in his grasp, but he slipped out and grabbed the discarded bananas. "Jayden, Mel, I know you weren't hit with a lot of dirt. I need your help."

"Yeah, yeah, just let me eat some of this first," Melody said from where she was laying down on the island, a jar of Nutella in her hand. She pulled the silverware drawer open and grabbed a large spoon, grinning from ear to ear as she started to lick the glob of chocolate spread.

"Antonio, stop," Jayden said, grabbing onto the back of Antonio's shirt, stopping him from taking the pack of bacon out of the refrigerator. This was kind of amusing to see as while he was trying to stop Antonio from eating uncooked bacon, he was trying to reach for the abandoned bowl of pretzels that sat on the counter.

"YOU GUYS!" Emily shouted, stomping her foot and all movement stopped. "YOU ALL NEED TO STOP EATING!"

"Yeah, right," Mike laughed before grabbing a jar of cookies.

Emily looked around as the doorbell suddenly rang. "Not now," she groaned.

"You take care of them, I'll try and get whoever it is, to go away," Mentor said, trying to sound as calm as he possibly could before he hurried out of the room.

"Bowl! Bowl!" Kevin shouted, looking around for a bowl after wrenching the microwave door open. He turned towards the cupboards and started throwing pots and pans to the floor. He laughed triumphantly when he found a bowl and he grabbed the bowl of popcorn and ripped it open, pouring it into the bowl. Jayden suddenly careened into his side, grabbing it. "My popcorn!"

"Give it!" Jayden shouted. His foot slipped on the forgotten banana peel and the two went falling to the ground, dropping the bowl.

"Popcorn! Mine!" Melody cried, jumping to the ground. She practically had her tongue on the floor and was scooping it into her mouth when Jaeger ran up behind her and grabbed her leg, pulling her away from the snack. "No! Let go."

"Ok, _you,_" he hauled Melody over his shoulder in a fireman's carry before pointing his glowing hand at Jayden. "Over there." He swung his arm to the side and a glowing Jayden slid across the floor until he was in the corner of the "U" that the island, sink, and counter made. "And _you_!" He then pointed his hand at Kevin. "Over there!" Kevin went sliding back into the opposite corner. He then put Melody back on the ground, before grabbing her tightly. "And you, stop squirming."

"Drop the watermelon," Azure said as she slowly walked over to Mike and Antonio. "You don't wantto eat that right now. Just give it to me."

"Get your own watermelon, this one's _mine," _Antonio declared, pulling it closer to his chest.

"No, it's _mine,_" Mike said, trying to grab it back.

"Oh my god!" Emily cried, feeling like she was going to rip her hair out as she tried to keep the Rangers from eating. She whirled around and her eyes widened when she saw Kevin had opened the bag of flour and was dumping it all into her mouth. "Kevin, _no. _That's flour!"

Before she could move, Mentor charged past her and grabbed the bag of flour. Kevin frowned, pulling it back towards him and the bag ripped, sending flower into the air. "Ohhh, that was _so _cool," he laughed. He then looked at mentor's flower covered face and laughed harder, clapping his hands together.

"Hey! I was going to eat that," Mike shouted, dropping the container of chocolate syrup that was in his hands. He licked his chocolatey lips. "_Dude!"_

"Would all just calm—Antonio, you need to _cook _the hot dogs," Emily shouted, pushing past Mike and Kevin, making his way over to the Gold Ranger.

"I'm going to go change," Mentor commented, puffs of flour shooting out into the air as he spoke.

"No, Mentor, you can't leave us," Jaeger said as he tried to wrestle the sugar bowl away from Mia. "Jayden, you can't just eat ketchup from a bowl."

"I've got it," Emily said, hurrying to the Red Ranger who was licking the bowl, ketchup on his nose. She grabbed onto the bowl, moving her body between Jayden and the bowl, and let out a "Yes" in victory when she managed to pull it out of his fingers.

"Emily," Mentor cried, hurrying back into the room, grabbing her shoulder, turning her around. "You have to get rid of those two. They think this is a dojo. They want lessons! They think they want to be Samurai."

"What are you talking about?" Emily asked. Mentor turned her around and marched her towards the door that lead from the kitchen and into the indoo dojo. She slid the door open and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she saw Bulk and Spike. Spike was playing with the punching bag and Bulk was swinging around a shinai. She quickly slid the door shut, turning towards Mentor. "It's Bulk and Spike."

"Bulk?" Melody asked, releasing the bag of marshmallows in her hand, knocking Mia over, who was wrestling her for it. "Dude, I wonder if he has the Bulkwich on him."

"NO!" Azure shouted, pulling her back. "If Bulk and Spike see you here, they might get suspicious." Melody shrugged and looked around for the cheese puffs. She spotted it in Jayden's hands. "HEY! What is it with you people and not follow dibs?" She grabbed a loaf of French bread and a pack of Oreos. "Put the cheese puffs down or you won't see your precious Oreos again."

Jayden gave her a look and popped open the bag, shoving a handful into his mouth, making a show of eating it. Melody's upper lip curled slightly before she dropped the bread and Oreos to the ground before she rushed forward and jumped onto him. She grabbed onto fistfuls of his hair, pulling it as she screamed, "GIVE ME BACK THE CHEESE PUFFS" as he spun in a circle, trying to knock her off.

"Cookies! I need cookies," Mike cried as he shoved Emily aside.

"Alright, Mentor," Emily said turning towards the older man. "You help Jaeger and Azure keep them under control and I'll go try and get rid of Bulk and Spike." A smile slowly came to her face. "I have an idea."

* * *

**A/N: **I had originally planned on doing the whole episode in this chapter, but I was having too much fun with the eating scene. Haha. First time I've uploaded both fics in one day. I'll try and have them both updated again on Thursday.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	40. Chapter 40: You Don't Like It? Tough!

**.:Chapter Forty – You Don't Like It? Tough!:.**

* * *

Emily stopped in front of the hall mirror to check her reflection. She patted the black wig that covered her blonde hair, making sure it was on straight, before sliding on her newly bought sunglasses. She twisted her head left and right before stepping back to examine her whole outfit. A smile came to her face and she gave herself a thumbs up.

"Perfect," she whispered. "If I can't show my friends that I'm tough, maybe I can convince some people I don't know that I am." She then walked towards the indoor training area, her boots squeaking over the wooden floor. She raised her eyebrows when she saw that Bulk and Spike were still playing around with their equipment. _Here goes nothing._

She loudly snapped her fingers and Bulk and Spike stopped what they were doing, turning to face her. She slowly slid the sunglasses off of her face and tucked them around her belt. "_Atteennnnntion_!" Bulk and Spike immediately snapped to attention; standing stick straight. Spike's hand swung up into a salute as his eyes widened.

_Now that's more like it_, Emily thought, holding back a smile. She crossed he arms over her chest and walked over to the two boys. "So…I hear you want to become—" she paused to slap down Spike's arm and force him to stand straight before making her way over to Bulk, "Samurai?" She backhanded Bulk's hand when he looked like he was going to say something.

_Let's test this out_, she thought as she turned back to them. She thought for a moment before facing the two of them. "Get down and give me 500 pushups!" she declared. Bulk and Skull exchanged wide eyed looks. "Now!" The two boys flinched, but still didn't move. She narrowed her eyes, looking back and forth between the two of them. "Is there a problem?"

"Ma'am, no, ma'am," the two of them whimpered before getting into push up position. She tapped the ground with her foot as she watched them. Her upper lip curled slightly. Their form wasn't perfect and they were really going to hurt their hands if they tried to do the 500 pushups on their fists.

"Only 497 to go," she commented, "I'll be back." She then turned on her heels, making her way back out of the room. Only then did she let out a breath of air she didn't realize she was holding. _See? I knew it. I can be tough. _She laughed a little bit as she removed the wig. _So why can't the others see that? _She jumped when she heard a loud crashing sound.

"Mentor, I'm coming," Emily called, rushing back into her room to change her clothes. The other Rangers may have been distracted by food, but they would notice the way she had changed her clothes and she wasn't really looking for a lecture from her friends about how tough she was again. They just didn't understand.

Once she got back to the kitchen, she noticed that it had been cleaned a lot more than it was before, but there was still some stuff that was on the floor. She looked around for the source of the crash and spotted a chair toppled over, sitting next to a broken potted plant. She turned around and spotted the cabinet behind her with broken shelves.

"What the-?" she gasped, before Mike rushed past her with the container of Oreos with Jayden running after him. Instead of eating the Oreos, he would twist them open, lick off the cream, and toss the cookies to the ground to be stepped on and crushed.

She started running around helping Mentor, Azure, and Jaeger stop the Rangers from eating as much stuff as they could (and to stop Melody from going to the training room to look for whatever the heck a Bulkwich was). At one point she actually stopped to scream, wanting to rip her hair out. She knew that it was hard having all those teenagers in the house eating a lot of food, but she didn't ever expect something like this to happen.

"Emily, were you able to get Bulk and Spike out of here?" Jaeger asked, trying to wrestle a jar of garlic cloves out of Antonio's hands, wincing every time she got a whiff of his stinky breath.

"Oh no!" she cried, letting go of the jar. She jumped back when it made a loud crashing sound as it hit the ground. "I'll come back and clean this, just make sure no one walks over here." She then hurried back out of the room to change into her "drill sergeant clothes" making her way back into the training room.

_Wow, they're still doing the pushups_, Emily thought, her eyes shooting up when she saw Bulk and Spike slowly pushing themselves up and down. "_Atteennnnntion_!" Bulk and Spike slowly got to their feet, breathing heavily. "Not bad, not bad at all." She slowly walked around them, making her way over to the racks of shinai. "Sword fighting is the most important tool in a Samurai's fighting arsenal. Not only does it help with your upper body strength, but it helps with quick thinking and how to stay light on your feet."

She took two shinais and shoved them into Bulk and Spike's chests before shoving them towards the practice dummy. "Now, 500 whacks on the dummy," she commanded. "_Go_!" The rhythmic tapping of the shinai on the dummy hit the air. "Good. Don't keep your elbows locked." She watched their forms for a moment, fixing them. "Good. I'll be back soon." Smirking, she backed out of the room, to change again.

"God, I hope this gets them out," she commented, shaking her head as she walked back into the kitchen. She blinked in surprise when she saw that they were all eating watermelon. "How did—"

"I'd rather have them eating healthily than stuffing their faces with junk," Mentor explained with a shake of her head. He glanced over at the Blue Ranger. "He had the most discipline sticking with his Samurai diet, he's going to be feeling this for a little while."

"How many more of these watermelon do you have?" Emily asked, as she walked over to the counter, picking one up.

"With how much _they _eat, it'll all be gone in a half an hour," Azure commented, pulling some marshmallows out of her hair. "This is disgusting."

"What do you need them for?" Jaeger asked, scrubbing at his hair with the sponge from the sink. He had some peanut butter and chocolate sauce stuck in it and around his mouth.

"I have an idea," Emily replied, setting it down, "and I'm going to need—" she did a quick head count, "the rest of the watermelon. And some eggs…I mean, if they're any left."

"Well yeah, but—"

"Good," Emily interrupted Mentor. She gasped, her head whipping around when she heard the Gap Sensor go off.

"The Nighlok is back," Jayden shouted, dropping the watermelon chunk that was in his hand. He wiped at the seeds that were stuck to his face and hurried out of the room. He then doubled back and grabbed an abandoned cookie, taking a large bite out of it as he rushed back out.

"Jayden, come back!" Mentor shouted after him. "You're not ok."

"He barely hit me," Jayden shouted back.

"I'm going too," Melody said as she lifted the bottom of her shirt to wipe at her mouth. She slapped her stomach. "I need to burn off these calories anyway. Don't wait up."

"Emily, you need to go with them" Ji said to her, moving to try and block the Ranger's way of getting more food after they finished their watermelon, "You're the only one fit enough to stop the Nighlok. Sure, the Nighlok barely hit Jayden and Melody, but they'll definitely be sluggish if they try to fight. If you don't stop the Nighlok, they'll eat until their stomachs explode, the poor civilians, too."

"I'm on my own?" she asked quietly, twisting her hands together. The only time she ever had to do that was when she fought off against Negatron, but she wasn't really alone in that fight. The Rangers were there with her, she was just the only one who wasn't affected by the negative comments thrown her way.

"You can do it, Em, I know you can," Jaeger said as she dropped the sponge into the sink. "Normally, I'd go, but something tells me I'm needed here." He turned his head to the side, and held out his hand. Swinging his arm up, he moved the container of knives into the air before Kevin could get to them, eyeing a watermelon hungrily. "Azure, go with her."

"What?" Azure asked, stopping what she was doing.

"You need to learn how to fight alongside Mel, just in case something happens to me," Jaeger replied as he carefully moved the knives over to a safe part of the room. "If you can't handle it, just say—"

"No, I can do it," Azure replied with a confident nod. "And with Jayden and Mel taking the car, I can get you there fast."

_You've proven that you can be tough, Bulk and Spike bought your scheme_, she thought to herself, chewing on her lower lip, glancing up at the wall as the Gap Sensor continued to blare. _It's now or never_. "Alright, I'm on my way," she said with a nod. "Just…make sure they're all ok."

"What about Bulk and Spike?" Mentor asked. "What do you need watermelon and eggs for?"

Emily gave a sheepish grin. "It's going to sound crazy," she replied.

"In this house?" Jaeger asked, raising an eyebrow, "nothing's that crazy anymore."

* * *

Emily was confused as she allowed Azure to pull her through the Darkness to the location of the Nighlok. There were hundreds of people in the city, and yet the Nighlok chose to reappear in the rock quarry. _Just as long as I can keep everyone safe_, Emily thought, breathing heavily as she put her two feet on solid ground. Her head swam and she stumbled a little bit.

"Sorry," Azure said as she turned back into her human form, shaking out her arms and legs. "It takes a while for people to get used to moving through the darkness. I tried to go as fast as I could."

"No worries," Emily replied. She looked around when she heard the familiar sound of clashing metal and raced around the corner of the rock quarry, stopping when she spotted Jayden and Melody trying to fight off the Nighlok. _Mentor was right, they _are _sluggish. _Jayden and Melody weren't moving as quickly as they usually did. They were making a lot of mistakes with their fighting, and they were breathing heavily in between each strike. "Guys, hold on!"

Emily reached into her pocket for her Samuraizer and quickly drew her kanji in the air. Frowning, when she didn't see the usual glowing symbol, she looked into her hand and felt herself cringe when she noticed that she was holding onto her tube of lipstick. She tossed it to the side before reaching into her other pocket, producing her Samuraizer. Tossing it into her left hand she shouted, "Go go, Samurai" and morphed into her suit.

"Are you ready?" Emily asked, turning towards Azure as she drew her sword Spin Sword.

"Ring Blade," Azure called and in a flash of bright purple light a giant hoop with speared points on the sides, appeared in her hands. She sucked in a deep breath, slowly letting it out of her mouth. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Let's go," Emily said. Azure nodded and the two of them raced towards the fallen Rangers.

"Bombs away," Grinataur called as he grabbed two of the bombs that he used on Emily before, throwing them over towards Jayden where he lay on the ground.

"Think again," Emily shouted, sliding in front of Jayden, striking at one of the bombs. Azure through her giant ring and Emily watched as it sliced through the air, cutting the bomb in half, making it explode before shooting towards the Nighlok, striking it in the side before swinging around back to Azure for her to catch, spinning a little bit as she did.

"Emily," Jayden gasped, peering up at her. "What-?"

"I know you're not fully recovered, so I'm here to step up," Emily replied, licking her lips behind her helmet before she pressed them tightly together.

"Are you guys ok?" Azure asked, crouching down beside Jayden and Melody.

"My stomach," the Purple Ranger groaned, wrapping an arm around her stomach. "Ate…too many cheese puffs." She made a groaning sound. "Bad cramps."

"I thought I got rid of all of you!" the Nighlok cried as he rushed towards Emily. "But, that's not a problem, this'll be a piece of cake."

"Ugh, don't say cake," Jayden mumbled.

"Don't worry guys, we'll take him down," Emily shouted before she charged towards the Nighlok, letting out a loud battle cry. Azure turned on her feet and rushed after Emily, swinging one arm as she ran, preparing to throw her ring.

Emily struck each of the bombs, knocking them off course. They exploded a ways away, but the shock of the explosion through the ground shook Emily's feet, causing her to stumble a little bit. Hearing aw _whoosh, _Emily watched as Azure's ring shot towards the Nighlok, catching him on the arm moments before Emily reach it. "Hiya!" she let out a loud cry, striking the Nighlok against the chest. She spun on her heels and stabbed it in the back.

Emily could hold him off for a bit, but he was strong. Azure was doing a great job fighting, but Emily could quickly see, like her own Earth Slicer, that her weapon of choice was made for long distance attacks, however she was trying to fight up close. But, then, Emily gasped in surprise as she watched Azure pull the ring in half. Two blades poked out of one end and handles flipped up out of the other, creating elbow blades for her.

But, the two girls still were no match of the strong Nighlok. After a hard hit to the stomach, he aimed a dirt blast at the two of them. Emily quickly grasped her Samuraizer, drawing a symbol into the air. "Symbol Power!" she cried, drawing as quickly as she could, "Wall!"

A brick wall formed in front of her and Azure, offering her protection as the dirt hit the bricks and nothing happened. As the wall disappeared she raced forward, giving the Nighlok a few slashes to wear him down. Azure was right beside her striking the Nighlok as much as she could with her elbow blades. But suddenly, the Nighlok reached out and grasped the two girls by their necks, dropping his sword in the process. Emily groaned when his hot, stinky breath, washed over her.

"Let me show you how it's done, Ranger," Grinataur hissed.

"I'm tougher than you think, and it's time to prove it," Emily declared, kicking her legs, trying to catch the Nighlok in the knee.

"Oh, is that so? This, I'd like to see," Grinataur snapped before throwing the two girls into the air.

Emily let out a scream as she went higher and higher into the air. Azure easily twisted in the air, landing on the ground on her feet. But, Emily came falling straight back down. The wind was knocked out of her when she felt a harsh, stinging slam into her side, knocking her away. She rolled a few times, feeling the sharp rocks on the ground poke through her black and yellow suit, scratching at her skin.

She pushed the tip of her Spin Sword into the ground, stopping herself from sliding even more. Her vision swam and she blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision. She felt a tight grip on her arm and looked up to see Azure standing over her, pulling at her. As soon as Emily got to her feet, she felt stings of pain all over her body as Grinataur's attack hit her. She couldn't even stop to think about what it was that was hitting her. She just knew that it hurt all over her body and she didn't have any time to react in between hits.

She felt her energy wane as she dropped to her knees, before falling face first to the ground. _Keep going Em, you can do it_, she thought to herself, trying to push herself back up to her feet.

"Em." Emily turned her head and saw Azure lying beside her, breathing heavily, looking to be in a lot of pain. She had a scrape on her cheek and her lip was split. "Sorry," she breathed. "He was too fast. I didn't have time to make the protective shield."

"It's ok," Emily replied, getting to her hands and knees. "I'm not…gonna give up." She reached for Azure's hand and tugged at it. "And neither…are you. You have…a lot…riding on this. Just like…me."

"You poor, pathetic, Ranger," The Nighlok taunted as he stalked over towards the two girls. He tossed a bomb up and down in his hands. "You don't even know when to give up." He laughed, throwing the bomb towards them.

There was a skidding sound and Melody slid in front of the two girls. She jumped onto one foot, catching the bomb with her boot. She tossed it into the air, bounced it off her knee, before jumping high, swinging her leg forward in a strong kick to send the bomb back towards the Nighlok. Grinataur barely had time to move before the bomb struck him. Melody pulled her Spin Sword of its sheath. She slowly dragged her hand up the flat side of her blade and it glowed a dull red before it burst into black and purple flames.

"Shadow Fire," Melody cried before drawing an X in the air with the flames. She lifted her Spin Sword over her head and struck down between the center point and the flames shot towards the Nighlok, slamming into his stomach. Melody dropped back onto her butt, breathing heavily. "Em, you ok?"

"Yeah, thanks to you," Emily replied, placing a hand on Melody's shoulder.

"Thanks," Azure said to Melody and she gave a brief nod in reply.

"Emily, catch," Jayden called. Emily turned her head and caught the Black Box against her chest. "You're doing great."

_Finally_, Emily thought with a grin as she looked down at the Black Box. _They can see that I'm tough enough to use this_. She got to her feet, staring down the Nighlok. "Let's see what this baby can do," she said as she gripped the Black Box tightly in her hand. "Super Samurai mode!"

Emily felt energy coursing through her body as she opened the Black Box. All the pain in her body melted away as the white jacket appeared over her Ranger suit. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. She felt like she could take on anything and she knew she could come out the winner.

She clipped the Box onto her Spin Sword. "It's time to shut your dirty mouths," she said, smirking behind her helmet.

"Take this!" the Nighlok shouted, shooting balls of energy of its mouth, towards her.

Emily leaped into the air, dodging each attack. _Whoa, it's like I'm flying, _she thought as she soared through the air, feeling the wind whip past her. "Super Primate Cyclone!" Emily closed her eyes, holding her Spin Sword out flat in front of her as she started to spin rapidly, sliding back and forth, striking the Nighlok over and over and over again.

As she skidded to a stop in front of the Nighlok, her Spin Sword glowed a brilliant yellow. "Nighlok! It's time for you to bite it," she shouted, dealing a final strike against the Nighlok's chest. The Nighlok stumbled letting out a groan of pain before falling backwards exploding as it hit the ground. The ground shook around Emily but she barely felt it. "Whoa, what a rush."

..

.

Back at the Shiba House, the Rangers had slowed down their eating. They were looking tired and full, but no matter what Mentor or Jaeger did, they couldn't get them to stop eating. But, with the defeat of the Nighlok, they were slowly returning to normal. Mia was the first to notice, putting down her spoon of salsa to squirt some ketchup into her mouth, stopping to stare at the bottle oddly. Her face felt sticky and tight and her clothes were stained with food.

"What are we doing?" she asked quietly. "Oh, my stomach."

"I love bread as much as the next person," Mike said as he removed the long loaf of bread from his mouth. He spat out some mashed up bits. "But, not this much." She dropped it to the ground. "I don't think I can eat anything ever again." He turned towards Kevin, noticing cheerios stuck to his face along with some other things he couldn't identify. "Dude, you've got some—" Mike motioned towards his face.

"Oh, thanks," Kevin said, wiping at his face, knocking off of some of the cheerios. "Did I get it?"

"Uh…yeah," Mike replied, looking at the patch of reddish/brownish stuff stuck to his cheeks. "You're good." He got to his feet, staring down at the bowl that had slipped off his head and hit the floor. "Dude, what happened?"

"No time to explain," Mentor said as he handed them all warm towels to start wiping at their face and clothes. "The Nighlok has returned. Jayden and Mel went after it and then Emily and Azure went after them. I can't imagine that Jayden or Mel could've lasted that long."

"Emily went off to fight by herself?" Mike asked, his eyes popping open. "We've got to help her. Where's the Nighlok?"

"Parkside Trails," Mentor replied and the Rangers took off. "But, wait!" They stopped in their tracks. "The back way."

"Whatever, let's go," Mike said as the Rangers raced towards the back door. Ji sighed in relief as he sat down on a stool, looking around at the messy kitchen. Just then, Mike raced back into the room and grabbed a cookie. He gave Ji a wink before stuffing it into his mouth, hurrying off again.

Mentor laughed a little bit, shaking his head. He blinked when he heard a strange sound and slowly got out of his seat. Making his way over to the indoor gym, blinking when he saw Bulk and Spike crawling on the ground, trying to make their way to the exit. He raised his eyebrows when he saw broken eggs and smashed watermelons lying on the ground.

_What the heck was going on in here_? He thought before clearing his throat. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked. The two of them slowly rolled over to face him, eyes wide. "I thought you wanted to be Samurai."

"We're sorry," Spike cried, squeezing his eyes shut. "We only wanted to return Mia's wallet. She dropped it in the store."

"Yeah, and…and the door just happened to swung open," Bulk added, slowly clasping his hands together in pleading position. "After you left and, well, we saw the dojo and we wanted to be Samurai, like…like we already explained."

"We just didn't think it was going to be this hard," Spike added. He reached into his pocket and grabbed Mia's pink wallet, holding it out to him. "And…well, we know that Mia hangs out with Mel. We wanted to see if she was here while we were here."

"Good work," Mentor commented as he took the wallet from him. "However, I don't think our trainer will be took easy on you tomorrow." An amused smile reached his lips. "If you agree to come back."

"We never give up, sir," Bulk replied before muttering under his breath, "We just quit." Spike nodded and the two of them continued to crawl their way out of the Shiba House.

* * *

"Thanks for hanging tough, Em," Jayden said as he watched the Nighlok grow into his second life. Hearing a loud, mechanical sound, the Rangers all looked up to see a large zord, running towards the Nighlok. "Is that—?"

"The Pantherzord," Melody finished for him, watching as the black and gray zord slammed it's head into the Nighlok's stomach.

"It's real," Emily whispered.

The Rangers watched as the Nighlok tried to fight against the zord. But, the Pantherzord was faster, able to turn on a dime to change directions to land a bite or a swipe of its sharp claws into the Nighlok's side. There was a low humming sound and suddenly, a ball of energy shot out of the zord's mouth, slamming into the Nighlok at close range, knocking him back. It then suddenly whipped around, striking the Nighlok's legs with its tail, causing it to fall back. Suddenly, the Turtle Zord came spinning through the air, striking the Nighlok in the chest, knocking it over.

"It's the others," Emily said, jumping up and down, waving her free hand. "Defeating the Nighlok must've broken the spell." She turned towards Jayden and Melody. "How do you feel? Hungry? Thirsty?"

"Full," Jayden replied, rubbing his stomach. He gently nudged her shoulder. "And it's all thanks to you, hanging in there and staying tough." He looked up when the Pantherzord let out a mechanical cry. "What'd it say?"

"It said: you're welcome," Azure replied quietly. Melody slowly nodded as the Pantherzord tuned and sped off.

"Wait," Jayden shouted after it. "We can't just let it go. We need the zord."

"I have a feeling it'll come back," Melody said, grabbing his elbow, turning her head to look at him. "But, what's important now is that we defeat the Nighlok before it sends down a dust cloud, infecting the city."

Jayden pressed his lips together but nodded before turning towards Emily. "You can do this, Em, call on the zords," he commanded, pulling open the top of the Black Box to reveal the red disc that helped the Super Samurai Ranger control all of the zords.

"Right," she said, taking in a deep breath. She closed the lid to the Black Box and thrust it into the air. "Ultimate Samurai Combination."

The Zords assembled quickly, to form the Samurai Gigazord to face off against the Nighlok. While the Gigazord was really strong and powerful, it was large and clunky and hard to move around with. It could move, but very slowly in comparison to the Nighlok that jump around easily and freely. But, it didn't stop the Rangers from using it to spin rapidly, shooting the bombs that Grinataur threw at them, back at the Nighlok, where it exploded around his feet.

"You think that's going to stop me?" Grinataur asked, "I've got some _more _dirty tricks for you!" He then shot forward, striking the Gigazord with his sword. The Gigazord shook violently, a ball of fire exploding from the impact of the sword against the metal. Before the Rangers could move, the Nighlok continued to strike the Gigazord.

"Maybe we can distract him give you guys enough time to charge up an attack," Azure suggested as she and Jaeger were knocked around the cockpit of the Gigazord.

"It's worth a shot," Jaeger replied before the two of them disappeared in a burst of light.

There was a loud roar and Jaeger and Azure, both in their lion forms, flew towards the Nighlok, using their majestic black wings to carry them through the air. As the Nighlok charged towards the Gigazord, the two shot balls of energy at the Nighlok, before flying around him; scratching him with their sharp claws as they tried to slow it down.

Grinataur easily batted them away and charged towards the Gigazord, slamming his hand into its metal stomach, hitting it so hard, the Gigazord shot back, skidding against the grown. The Rangers were thrown forward into the consoles in front of them, and they screamed as the Gigazord moved.

"Aw, my stomach," Kevin groaned.

"Ay dios mio," Antonio said, putting a hand to his helmet. "If I didn't want to puke before, I definitely want to now."

"That Nighlok is grinning and winning," Mike cried.

"Don't worry, I'll stop him," Emily replied, removing her Mega Blade from the console in front of her before disappearing from the Gigazord's cockpit and reappearing in her Ape zord. "Ape Zord, disengage."

The Ape Zord unfolded itself and charged towards the Nighlok, jumping straight at its face with a mechanical screech. Emily maneuvered the Ape Zord to latch onto the Nighlok's face and hold on despite being swung back and forth. "Jayden," she shouted, "now's our chance. Get him."

"You've got it, Em," Jayden replied and the Rangers inside the Gigazord pulled their Mega Blades out of their consoles, allowing it to flip straight up into a point.

"Burning Mane," Jaeger shouted, his mane bursting into flames. He spun in a circle, becoming a twisting ball of fire before slamming into the Nighlok's side.

"Darkness Release," Azure said as she flew up into the air. She then tucked in her wings and dive bombed at Grinataur. Her body turned into a wave of energy, sliding through the Nighlok. "Now, guys."

The Rangers controlled the Gigazord to jump high into the air, prepping for their final attack. "Mega Blade!" the Rangers shouted, swinging down their swords in the cockpit. The Gigazord spun rapidly as it fell towards the Nighlok. Emily and the Ape Zord jumped away just in time as the Gigazord came down. "Ultimate Samurai Slash." The Nighlok exploded on impact.

"Samurai Rangers." Emily smiled behind her helmet as she returned to the Gigazord cockpit with the others, "Victory is ours."

"Let's hear it for the Not-So-Mellow Yellow," Antonio cheered, punching the air with his fists.

"Way to go, Em, that was amazing," Mike said, giving her a thumbs up. "I knew you could be tough when it counts.

"Thanks," Emily said, letting out a sigh of happiness.

* * *

As the Rangers got back to the Shiba House, the first thing Mike did was make his way towards the refrigerator. "Hey," he cried as he looked at the empty shelves and drawers. He started pushing Tupperware aside before opening the freezer door. "Who ate everything?"

Emily let out a loud laugh of disbelief. "You're kidding right?" she asked as he turned around to face her.

"No," Mike said with a frown. He then pouted. "I'm hungry."

"You're _always_ hungry," Jayden commented from where he and Antonio were sitting, playing a game of chess.

"You probably at everything, Mike," Melody joked, clapping him on the shoulder as she passed. "You're constantly eating. You were bound to eat us out of the house at one point or another." She then nodded towards Emily. "Great work today, Em."

"Seriously," Jayden agreed, "you didn't back down from that Nighlok. We couldn't have defeated him without you."

"Thanks," Emily said, blushing slightly as she smiled. "But, we all did it together, as a team."

"I told you that you didn't need to change yourself to be tough," Melody said with a shake of her head. "Mia was right; you're tough in your own way." She then glanced over at Kevin, raising her eyebrows. "And _someone_ shouldn't go around telling her that she needs to toughen up." Kevin gave Emily a sheepish grin. She nudged Emily with her shoulder. "Next time he says anything bad about you, just come to me, I'll set him straight."

"I'd like to see you try," Kevin replied.

Melody's lips curled into a smirk as she looked back at him. "Don't underestimate me, dude," she said in a dangerously sweet voice. She laughed when Kevin gave her a slightly horrified look. "I'm just kidding." _A little._

"Hey, has anyone seen my wallet?" Mia asked, walking into the kitchen. "I can't find it anywhere."

Mentor pulled it out of a pocket in his robes and pushed it towards Emily. She gave Mentor a confused look and he briefly shook his head. Shrugging, she took the pink wallet, holding it up. "Here," she called out to Mia, who seemed to relax, when she saw it. "You left it back at the store."

"Thanks," Mia said with a grin. She then noticed smudges of peanut butter on it and looked back at the Yellow Ranger, silently raising her eyebrows.

"Don't ask," Emily replied, putting her hands in the air.

Mia shrugged, sliding her wallet into her back pocket. She then turned towards Melody who was sitting cross legged in the middle of the floor, spinning around a chunk of rope as Jaeger and Azure, in their cat forms, jumped for it, trying to bite it. "Hey, Mel, I've been thinking," she said and Melody looked up at her. "You did call those shoes first. You can have them."

"Keep 'em," Melody replied, shaking her head, "you're right, they're too pink." Mia clicked her tongue rolling her eyes. "I don't want them, Mia. You can have them."

"Yeah, but now I'm offering them to you," Mia replied.

"I get that, but—"

"_Hey_," Emily loudly called, stopping the two of them from getting into another fight. "I'm sure you can think up a compromise." She glanced back and forth between the two girls.

"How about…we return the shoes for store credit, and get some bracelets or something," Melody suggested, rubbing her chin. "We can go this weekend." She then turned towards Emily. "All three of us. Besides, something tells me we're going to need someone who's brave enough to stop us from getting into an argument."

"Cool, it's a date," Mia said with a grin before moving to head out of the room. She stopped and doubled back, glancing at Kevin. She reached out her hand and wiped at a spot on his cheek. He gave her a confused look. "You have some chocolate—" she dropped her arm giving him a brief smile, "yeah."

"What exactly happened here…today?" Kevin asked, looking at Mia out of her corner of his eye as she left the room, before facing Mentor.

"Actually, I'd like to know that too," Mia said as she turned around, heading back into the room. "What _did_ happen?"

"If you only knew," Mentor replied with a shake of his head. "It was the toughest day ever. Right, Emily?"

"You said it," Emily replied with a shake of her head. Kevin crossed his arms over his chest, giving her a pointed look. Emily started laughing. "Well, it all started with Grinataur's dirt," she said as she explained the story.

The Rangers sat and listened to her story with Mentor and Azure and Jaeger jumping in from time to time. The Rangers' jaws dropped as they listened to how they had acted when they were pigging out on all of the food. Emily tried hard not to laugh at the looks on their faces.

"So…you pretended to be a trainer to get Bulk and Spike out of the house?" Melody asked slowly and quietly, looking up at Emily from where she was on the ground. She had her hands clasped together tightly in her lap, annoyed.

"I didn't think it was going to work," Emily admitted with a nod. "But, they were all for being Samurai. I just wanted to show them that it wasn't easy."

_Being tough was one thing, but this is ridiculous._ Melody let out a sardonic laugh as she got to her feet, grabbing the keys to the Shiba Family car from the corkboard by the refrigerator door. "I'm going to make sure they're ok," she said as she made her way to the door.

"Mel," Emily called after her, eyes widened slightly, jaw dropped.

Melody turned around, pointing the keys at her. "No, Em," she said, her voice tight, "there's a fine line in being tough and being a bitch." Emily gasped, her eyes widening. "And you crossed it the minute you put on those clothes."

"Mel, calm down," Mia said, putting a hand on Melody's shoulder. Melody pulled her arm away.

"She harasses Bulk and Spike to the point they can't even walk anymore, and now she feels good about herself?" Melody asked, glaring over at Mia, who silently blinked. "Now she feels tough? This is what she wanted; but this is what she had to do to prove to herself that she was just as strong as the rest of us? That's bullshit and you know it."

"_Mel_," Mike said sharply.

Melody glanced over at him before looking back at Emily. Her shoulders dropped and she briefly looked away when she realized that Emily had tears in her eyes. The Yellow Ranger then jumped out of her seat and rushed past her, hurrying to her room. Moments later, there was the loud slam of her door shutting.

"I can't believe you did that," Mike said in a low voice. "I can't believe you _said_ that. I can't believe you could be so heartless."

Melody winced at the last word. Mike slowly shook his head back and forth before muttering that he would check on Emily, slipping past her on his way out the door. Melody set her jaw as she looked at the other Rangers, noticing that they were all staring at her, eyes wide and jaws dropped slightly. Even Jaeger and Azure had stopped what they were doing and staring at her.

"It just slipped out," Melody muttered before turning on her heels, making her way to the front door of the Shiba House. She unlocked the doors and climbed into the driver's seat. As she slammed the door shut and buckled up her seat belt, she barely glanced over at the passenger seat as Jayden opened the door, climbing in.

She silently started up the car and made her way to Bulk and Spike's place. She was aware that Jayden kept looking over at her from time to time, but otherwise didn't say anything. She could tell he wanted to bring it up to her, she could tell that he was most likely disappointed or mad or both with the way she had acted, but at that time, she didn't really care.

That's not to say she didn't feel bad about what she did, she hated making people cry, but Emily had pushed it too far. She knew that what she did in high school to Bulk and Skull could've been considered bullying, but she would've never done something like that to put them in their place.

As she pulled up into Bulk and Spike's driveway, she was worried about what she would find. She put on the parking brake, turned off the car, unbuckled her seat belt, and practically flew out of the car and around the side of the garage, practically kicking in the door, causing her two friends to scream in fear and then in pain as they had jumped at the sudden entrance.

"Sorry," Melody apologized, slowly making her way into the room. She glanced over at Jayden as he walked up behind her. "You remember my friend, Jayden."

"Hi," Jayden said, giving a brief wave. "We heard you got into some Samurai training today."

"It was pretty cool," Spike replied, adjusting a bag of ice that sat on one of his legs. It seemed like his whole body was covered in bags of ice, Bulk as well. "But, pretty painful."

"Yeah, we've been training for a while, but we didn't think it was going to be that hard," Bulk said with a shake of his head. "And Mia must be really into it if she has her own dojo." He glanced back and forth between Melody and Jayden. "Is that trainer there all the time?"

"Actually, I don't think she's going to be around for a while," Jayden commented, glancing over at Melody. She twisted her mouth to the side, but didn't say anything. "But, Mia's been training for a long while. At least, that's what she told us." He tilted his head to the side. "Why do you want to be Samurai, anyway?"

"Because we never give up," Spike replied with a grin. "And Uncle Bulk has some past experience with the Power Rangers, too." Jayden looked over at Melody, raising his eyebrows and she briefly shook her head back and forth.

"Look, are you guys ok?" Melody asked.

"Are you kidding? We're great," Bulk said with a grin. "The only thing harder than that was when Skull and I had to train for to be on the Junior Police Patrol."

"Yeah, we actually got try what a Samurai does _every day_," Skull replied. "It was so cool. Now we can try this stuff ourselves. We've got the inside look."

Melody let out a breath of air, scratching at her forehead before moving to sit on the floor in front of Bulk. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Bulk replied with a nod.

"Do you think I'm a heartless?" Melody asked.

Genuine confusion slid across Bulk's face. He blinked and simply asked, "What?"

"Do you think I'm heartless?" Melody repeated briefly closing her eyes.

Bulk looked over at Jayden who slid his hands into his jeans pockets, leaning against the table he was standing by. "Of all the things I could call you, you definitely aren't heartless." He paused for a moment and added with a smile, "Dweeb." Melody let out a small laugh through her nose. "You may be a self-proclaimed bitch, but you're not even that. You're not heartless. In fact, you've stood up for me more than anyone else in my life."

He gently lowered his legs to the floor with the help of the footrest of the chair he was sitting in, wincing as he did so. He then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Mel, you're amazing, and you have this confidence about you that I know a whole bunch of people wish they had; your goody-good friends included." Melody actually laughed out loud at that. "A lot of people have asked me why you have been and will be so fiercely independent and I told him it was because you were strong – untouchable."

"You're not heartless," Spike added. "If you were heartless, you wouldn't always be looking out for us, checking to see if we were ok, making sure we had groceries, that we were comfortable." He scratched the back of his neck. "Making sure I was ok when I ran away."

"And even back in high school, while your dad was working late, you made sure your brothers had dinner, got their homework done, and you even helped out Rocky with his brothers and sisters whenever he needed to babysit," Bulk added counting off on his fingers, "you helped him with his breakup with his girlfriend, you helped him when his dad wanted back in his life, you helped Kim get over her fear of gymnastics after her bad fall, I could go on and on. But most importantly, you helped Skully and I out, too."

"I didn't know you paid attention to all of that," Melody said with a shake of her head.

Bulk's upper lip curled into a teasing smile. "It's kind of hard not to when all you dweebs kept being all…_good_ around us," he said. He briefly glanced over at Jayden. "It's all right to let people in. And Mel? It's certainly all right to keep people out." He reached out a hand and patted her head. "Now, get out. Us manly men have training to do."

"Whatever you say, _Bulkie_," Melody replied as she got to her feet. She motioned for Jayden to follow her. "Come on." The two of them bad farewell to the two boys and made their way back to the car. Melody got into the driver's seat, slamming the door shut behind her. She put the keys in the ignition before sitting back in her seat, looking out the window, putting a hand to her chin.

"You ok?" Jayden asked, peering over at her.

"No," Melody replied. She stared out the window for a moment longer before turning back to face him. "How well would you say you know Panorama?"

"I've lived here all my life," Jayden replied with a shrug. "Why?"

"I've lived in Angel Grove since I was seven," Melody replied, scratching at the back of her neck. "Before I came here, I thought it was the most beautiful city in the world. Even being there that long, I never really noticed how beautiful it was until I got a new perspective on it." She let out a sigh through her nose. "When I needed to think, I went to the top of our Command Center and just looked out over the mountains and at the city below."

"And here in Panorama?" Jayden asked.

"Are you in any hurry to get back to that chess game?" Jayden thought for a moment, his lips twitching before shaking his head. "Good." She then turned on the car, taking off the parking brake and backing out of the driveway to Bulk's house.

* * *

**A/N: **Phew. I've been waiting to get to this episode for a while so I could insert the scene with Mel blowing up at Emily. Personally, I thought she took her "training" with Bulk and Spike way too far in the episode. Mel does apologize to Emily which you'll see in the next chapter and the next chapter is a little more light hearted. I hope you guys liked this chapter.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	41. Chapter 41: Cut and Paste

**.:Chapter Forty-One – Cut and Paste:.**

* * *

"Em?" Mike asked, quietly walking into the Yellow Ranger's room.

"Go away," Emily replied, her face buried into her pillow.

Mike let out a sigh through his nose before moving to sit on the end of her bed. "Scoot over," he commented, patting her leg. Emily curled her legs up underneath her and Mike swun around to sit cross legged on her bed. He rested his elbows on his knees and rested his chin against her fists. "I thought you wanted me to go away."

"I do," Emily replied, "and I don't. I don't mind you being here, I guess."

"Well, that's good to know," Mike said with a snort. "Em, are you ok?"

"No, I'm not," Emily replied, rolling over to face Mike, sliding a hand behind her head. She was silent for a moment. "I've never seen Mel so mad before; especially at me." She wiped at her eyes. "I thought I was finally doing something good and helping people out."

"What do you mean finally?" Mike asked, raising his eyebrows.

Emily rolled her eyes, sitting up to face him. "Don't you get it?" Emily asked, throwing her arms into the air. "You heard Kevin; I have to toughen up. And the minute I do that, I get called a bitch. Because sweet, country girl, Emily can't be tough."

"That's not what Mel was saying," Mike said, scratching at the back of his head. Emily quirked an eyebrow and he put his hands up defensively. "I'm not trying to defend her; I'm pissed at the things she said to you. She had no right to yell at you like that."

"Mike, I'm useless!" Emily cried, her eyes feeling with tears again. "I'm just this little kid that keeps getting in the way. I can't do anything right."

"You defeated that Nighlok, did you not?" Mike asked, "single handedly with the Black Box I might add." He brought his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs.

"I wasn't by myself, I had Azure's help," Emily said, blowing her bangs off her forehead.

"Well…she can't use the Black Box, and she doesn't know how to fight against the Nighlok, so it really was all you," Mike replied, his upper lip curling slightly as he thought, trying to think of a way to cheer her up. "It's like Jayden says; everybody on the team has an important role. We all work together…and you're not buying this crap are you?"

"I would if it were true," Emily replied with a shrug. "We all work as a team and we're all fine with each other when nothing goes wrong. And then the minute something goes wrong, we all blow up at each other, Mel especially. It's like…like she was _waiting _for someone to mess up."

"It's times like these I wonder if we really do know each other," Mike commented and Emily tilted her head to the side. "We call each other our friends, but all we know about each other is what we've seen in this house or what we've told each other over the time we've spent here. But, do we really know each other? I doubt our paths would've crossed if we weren't in this Samurai thing together."

Emily's eyes narrowed slightly. "It wouldn't be any different," Emily commented, "I don't fit in at school and I don't fit in here. I can't do anything right."

"Jumping on that Nighlok's face?" Mike asked with a laugh. "That was doing something right. That was smart, Em, I never would have thought of it."

Emily gave a brief smile. She had to admit that it _was _a pretty good idea. They were getting their asses handed to them, and she wanted to prove that she wasn't just a part of the team that could be disposable. On the Samurai Megazord, the Ape Zord helped form the butt, and on the Gigazord, she was just a piece hanging off the foot. What difference did it make if it was attached or not, it could still be the Gigazord without her. But, she proved that she was as tough as the others, and then the it all came crashing down when Melody shouted at her.

She looked up the Purple Ranger and thought of both her and Mia as her older sisters. But, lately she felt like she was being pushed out of the shuffle. The two of them seemed to be getting closer, from what she could see with the shopping trip and their mock fight over the shoes. And with Melody's comment about Emily stopping them from fighting, she couldn't help but wonder if that was all they needed her for.

"You're not useless!" Mike said, spotting the look of doubt in Emily's eyes once again. "You're perfect. I mean, yeah you may have a hard time defending yourself, and you may have trouble catching onto things and you _are _still pretty clumsy-"

"I'm sorry but can you get to the point?" Emily asked, looking at him with a glum expression on her face. "You're making me feel even more pathetic than I already am." Mike couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

"Sorry, I'm not really good at this," Mike said with a small smile, "what I'm trying to say is...you're not useless, you can improve yourself with hard work and dedication, the same dedication you've been showing us every single day you stay here." He reached out his hand and took hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You're great, Em. Really." Emily still looked doubtful. "Geeze, you're wound tighter than a two-dollar watch." He threw his arms into the air. "Here I am, trying to make you feel better and everything I say goes in one ear and out the other."

"It's just that I'm not really used to being, y'know… _close_ to people," Emily slowly relied, choosing her words carefully, "I'm not any good at making friends… you know; I always got picked on and everything."

"You're not the only one who got picked on in school you know," Mike commented and Emily tilted her head to the side, looking curious. Mike let out a sigh through his nose. "I dunno… I mean – I guess I spent so many years being told I was stupid and… and worthless… I just… I just didn't know what else to believe, I think. Nobody really told me anything different."

Emily's eyebrows knitted together as a frown crossed her face. Mike always seemed so open and happy with people, she never thought that someone like him could go through something like she did. Bu, it all made sense, his lack of self-esteem, always comparing himself to Jayden or Kevin.

"Who told you that?" she asked quietly.

"A lot of people," Mike replied with a shrug. "Kids at my school…my dad." Emily's breath caught in her throat for a moment. "I got made fun of a lot…believe it or not, I wasn't too popular with the kids in my school. That's why I got into video games; you can connect with people around the world without ever having to actually meet them." His shoulders slumped as he sighed. "As far as I can remember, my dad always told me I'm stupid, or useless, worthless… that I can't do anything right. He's always putting me down and calling me names."

"What about your mom?" Emily asked.

"She's gone," Mike replied simply. "She left when I was three; she took me to the park, told me she loved me, and took off. Haven't seen her since."

"Mike, I'm sorry," Emily said with a frown. "I can't believe that happened to you."

"Don't worry about it," Mike replied, waving his hand in the air. "I'm over it…kind of. Sometimes I wish I could see her, but I'm happy here. I get to play with swords, fight off monsters, prove to my dad that I'm not as worthless as he says." He then nudged her with his foot. "Anyway, I just wanted to show you that we're not so different. Like I said before, it's not good to talk about yourself like that and I hate seeing you so down."

"You're incredible, you know that?" Emily said with a grin.

"You're not too bad yourself," Mike replied and Emily rolled her eyes. "Yes, even I can be cheesy from time to time."

"The thing is, though…I kinda disagree?" Emily said, twisting her fingers together.

"What, is that a question?" Mike asked, scratching his head.

"No, it's just…you're the first person who's ever said anything like that to me," Emily replied, a faint blush coming to her cheeks.

"Maybe no one's said it to your face, but I assure you it's true," Mike said with a shrug. "And there's no way I'm the only one who thinks so." He nudged her again. "I mean come on! I find it impossible to believe I'm the first to tell you that."

"You're just trying to make me feel better," Emily muttered.

"Well, _duh_," Mike cried, throwing his arms into the air. "I'm not doing this for my health. "Is it working?" Emily laughed a little bit. "Seriously though, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, I swear." Emily twisted her mouth to the side. "Ok. It's obvious you're not believing a word I'm saying, I'm taking out the big guns. Now, I didn't want to do this but—"

Mike suddenly jumped towards her, digging his fingers into her sides wiggling them, tickling her mercilessly. Emily's yelped and tried to squirm of out his grasp, prying at his fingers, as she burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

"Stop," Emily cried in between her laughs as she tried to bat his hands away. But, he continued to tickle her. "Ok, ok, I give." She shoved her hands into Mike's chest and Mike let out a small yelp as he slipped off the side of her bed, taking her with him. "Sorry. I'm just very ticklish."

"I've noticed," Mike replied, from where he was lying beneath her. "So, you better now?"

"Yeah," Emily replied with a nod. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Mike replied with a brief smile before he sat up, kissing her.

The soft, warmth of her lips pressed against his own had him fighting the impulse to kiss her harder. And as much as he wanted to give into that, he noticed that she wasn't exactly kissing him back. He looked up at her as she pulled away, her bottom lip caught between his teeth for a moment. Her face was flushed and her eyes were wide.

"Uhh." Mike opened and closed his mouth as she quickly got off of him, clearing her throat, brushing her hair back from her face. "G-glad to know you're better now. So, I'll just…go."

He got to his feet, gave a brief wave and made his way out of her room and into his, kicking the door shut behind him. He ran his hands over his face as he started to smile. A minute later, his smile faded as he remembered about the rules of the house, more importantly, the no romantic entanglements rule.

"Shit."

* * *

"The batting cages?" Jayden asked, blinking as Melody handed him a bat before placing a helmet down onto his head. He looked around. They were the only ones there. "You go to the batting cages to think?"

"Do you always question whatever I do?" Melody asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Do _you _always question whatever _I _do?" Jayden shot back.

"Cute," Melody replied, briefly making a face. "And, no I don't."

"Then why are we here?" Jayden asked.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, and I know I'm not," Melody said, sliding her hands into her back pockets, "I told you that one day I was going to kidnap you and make you have fun." She motioned towards the batting cages. "Last I checked, it's been a while since you've played baseball, so why not? Besides, I already paid for it." She gave him a bright smile. "You're welcome."

Jayden sighed, twisting his mouth to the side before making his way into the caged area, closing the gate behind him. He wasn't really in the mood for practicing his batting, but he knew that she wouldn't let him leave until he did it. He let out a breath of air, tightly gripping the bat in his hands. He let out a breath of air as the ball whizzed towards him. He swung and missed. Again. And Again.

"Use your legs, Jay, you're not using your legs," Melody called over to him.

"Weren't you the one that told me that you could barely bat when you played baseball?" Jayden called over his shoulder, swining again.

"Yes," Melody agreed, "but I know a bad stance when I see once." She tilted her head to the side as she watched him. "You seem tense."

"Well, I had Mother Nature visit me in a dream, and then your two guardians come with an ancient scroll telling us one of us will die unless we learn to work together, and then I had you yelling at a team mate," Jayden listed off, keeping his eye on the ball shooting towards him. He swung and missed again. "It'd seriously surprise me if everyone was _not _tense."

"Bend your knees more," Melody commented with a sigh. Jayden did as she was told and he swung at the ball that came towards him. _Clang_. "That's more like it." He hit another ball straight on. "Nice."

Jayden felt a smile come to his face as he continued to hit each baseball. The clang each time his bat connected with the ball and the jolt of the hit in his arms felt empowering at first. And then his wrist started to hurt. In between pitches from the machine, he glanced down at the scar around his wrist from where he fought Deker. His smile turned into a slight frown.

Deker. He couldn't believe he was back. He couldn't believe he had seen him again with his own two eyes._ Mother Nature was right, though. Everytime something good happens to us, something bad is right around the corner. _

"Something wrong?" Melody called over to him. Jayden briefly shook his head, connecting his bat with the ball again. He grit his teeth when another jolt hit his wrist. "Do you want some water?"

"Sure," Jayden commented, removing his helmet, stepping out of the cage. He leaned the bat up against the gate and set down the helmet before taking the water bottle that Melody held out to him.

"Do you need some ice?" Melody asked, looking down at his wrist.

"I'm fine," Jayden replied, moving to twist off the cap of the water bottle with his left hand. He stopped and switched hands, opening the top.

"Yeah, you sure look fine," Melody replied sarcastically, an eyebrow raising. Jayden blinked. "You know what I mean." She nodded towards his wrist. "You're not making it any better ignoring it. You need ice it."

"Yeah, it's not the first time it's been like this," Jayden said with a shake of his head, "you know that. Besides, it didn't stop me from continuing my training—"

"One armed," Melody reminded him.

"—and making sure everything ran smoothly at home," Jayden finished as if she didn't say anything. "I'd rather permanently screw up my wrist then to sit back and let the Nighlok run wild."

"God forbid you actually take the time away from being the Red Ranger," Melody said with a roll of her eyes. Jayden frowned. "I know that that's not the only thing that defines you." Jayden pressed his lips together, but didn't say anything. "Ok, _now _I'm going to show you where I go to think. It's obvious that you need to do some thinking yourself."

"No, I—" Jayden shook his head deciding not to finish his sentence. He _did_ need a quiet place to go and think and he knew he was never going to find that in the Shiba House. He had no choice but to follow her.

They got back into the Shiba family car, with Melody in the driver's seat, and she made her way towards the beach. Jayden followed behind her as she got out of the car, slamming the driver's door shut, locking it behind them. They made their way onto the sand and they paused to take off their socks and shoes.

He glanced over at her as they walked. The Purple Ranger seemed more at ease now, not like he saw her earlier; being the most mad he had ever seen her, and then the most vulnerable. It was weird how her emotions could change so quickly and now she was back to her normal, sarcastic, witty, and prying self. He couldn't deny that he was curious about what she was thinking of everything. He didn't know when it had happened but over time he learned to value her opinion on things that the Rangers had to face.

Thinking back to when they first met and how she had been so adamant to doing things her way, he wondered how she ever seemed to fit into the house. But, that thought quickly disappeared as he knew it was her confidence in herself and others, and her easy going and laid back attitude that made it that people wanted to have her around. With her and Mike in the house, there was never a dull moment that went by.

They came up to a cluster of rocks that turned into cliffs overlooking the ocean. Melody easily bound from rock to rock, holding out her arms to keep her balance. Jayden followed after her until they came to a flat area. Melody walked across the top and to an area that dipped down. As Jayden walked over to it, his jaw dropped slightly. It looked like the rock had been carved out to make a seat for, what looked like five people. You could sit at the edge and dangle your feet over or sit back and stretch out your legs as if you were in a recliner.

"Wow," Jayden said as he set down his shoes, slowly lowering himself into the spot. The rock all around him was smooth.

"Cool, right?"Melody asked with a smile. "My brothers and I found it the day we came to Panorama when we were exploring the city. We come here to just get away from it all."

"I don't blame you," Jayden commented, looking out over the ocean.

He could hear the waves crash against the rocks below. The salty wind whipped his hair around his head. He had never known that this was here if he had actually taken the time to get out of the Shiba House. Until the Rangers arrived, he barely ever got out or gave himself the day off. It was a nice change of pace.

"So, what was that?" Jayden asked, "back at the house you were pissed beyond belief and then at Bulk and Spikes you were different."

"Insecure," Melody replied, looking over at him. "I've been called a whole bunch of things but I've never once been called heartless; not by someone I consider a good friend, anyway." A thoughtful look crossed her face. "Anybody I barely know can call me any name under the sun, and I won't care. I just find it kind of funny that it was being called 'heartless' that really made me stop and think about how I acted. It's also the way I act when my powers completely take me over." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you _sure_ you want Azure, Jaeger, and I to teach all of you on how to handle my powers?"

Jayden was silent for a moment. He had been thinking about it for a while. The Pros surely outweighed the Cons but there was still the fact that it was dangerous and neither of them had seen the act of sharing powers used before. "We have to learn to accept new powers, right?"

"Jay, you haven't even begun to understand, what true darkness is," Melody said shaking her head back and forth, letting out an odd laugh. "I've already said I'm not going to share my powers."

"You sad you weren't going to do it because you didn't want to hurt anyone," Jayden spoke up. "Not again, you said."

"And yet, I did that Emily," Melody replied with a brief nod.

"Who were you referring to before?" Jayden asked.

A sad smile crossed her face. "Trini," she replied and Jayden turned to face her side, sitting cross legged. "I've known Trini since I was seven years old. She is and was probably the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my entire life. She kind of had an old soul, and was there to listen to whatever problems you had and—in my case—tell you how to solve it _without_ name calling or any form of violence known to man. She was always so peaceful and quiet about everything. You could be the most pissed off person in the world but if you got in a five foot radius you forgot what it was that made you so mad. You were just always extremely calm."

"What happened to her?" Jayden asked.

"She died in a car crash," Melody replied simply and Jayden blinked in surprise, but stayed silent. It wasn't like she was saying something as simple like the sky was blue. She was talking in a low tone, seeming more thoughtful than sad. "People keep telling me it's not my fault. I know it was an accident because it was, but that's just something that is going to take me a while to fully get over. I know it's not easy and I know I drive people crazy with it…but that's what made me go off."

She brought a knee up to her chest as she turned towards Jayden. "Remember, I said that the Darkness feeds off of every bad thought and feeling you've ever had?" Jayden nodded. "I heard how badly Bulk and Spike were treated, and for some reason I just snapped back to that. I saw how hurt everyone was. Her parents practically collapsed on the spot. Hearing how Bulk and Spike were crawling to get out of here, it reminded me of them on the floor, screaming, and crying. I heard that come from Emily's mouth and I just snapped. I'm not proud of what I did, but I've never really been one to really think before I did or said anything."

Jayden couldn't help but laugh a little bit. His chest swelled as he sucked in a deep breath of air through his nose. He held it or a moment before slowly letting it out. "Do you think…" Jayden trailed off for a moment. Melody's gave him a questioning look as she waited for him to speak. "Do you think I have the Darkness inside me?"

"Well, everyone does," Melody replied with a nod and a shrug. "If you succumb to it too much you fall into depression. Believe it or not, parts of the elemental world affect even the most trivial things in our lives." She quirked an eyebrow. "Do you want me to see anyway?"

"What would you see?" Jayden asked.

"Whatever you want me to see," Melody replied with a brief shake of her head. "But, I have to warn you, it could turn the most composed person into a bowl of quivering jelly."

"Please," Jayden said quietly.

Melody pressed her lips together before letting out a sigh, turning to face him. She scooted forward, until their knees were touching when she crossed her legs. "Close your eyes," she said as she held her hands up on either side of his head. Jayden blinked a few times before his eyes fluttered shut. Her hands glowed a brilliant shade of purple as she whispered, "Soul Searcher." She closed her eyes as well.

_Jayden slowly reached out a small hand and took the zord, gripping it tightly with his fingers. "Dad—"_

_"Reece!"Jayden's dad slowly turned to face the Blue Ranger. "We have to go. Now."_

_"I'm coming," Reece replied, moving forward to give Jayden a hug. "Stay strong. I'm proud of you, son." He clipped on his helmet, gave Mentor a nod, before turning to face the Blue Ranger, hurrying after him to join the fight._

_._

_"Awesome, we saved the world again," five year old Antonio cheered as he punched the air with his fist._

_"Yeah, alright right," Jayden cried before lifting his small hand to slap Antonio a high five._

_"__Jayden__," Mentor's sharp tone came from the Shiba House, "__are you practicing or playing__?" _

_Antonio and Jayden exchanged glanced before Antonio hurried to find a place to hide. Jayden picked up his shinai and walked back over to the practice dummy he was working with before, starting his training once again. He glanced over his shoulder when he saw Mentor coming and then over where Antonio was hiding, giving him a smile._

_"__Jayden, it's important that you keep your concentration on the task at hand," Mentor commented, as he watched the small Red Ranger. "Master Xandred will return at some point or another. I need you to be ready for when that happens."_

_"Yes, Mentor," Jayden replied, with a nod. "I have to be prepared for a Nighlok attack and to finish what my dad started.__"_

_._

_"Master Xanded must've awakened," Mentor explained, seeing the confused look on the Red Ranger's face. "A new breed of Nighlok, more powerful than ordinary Moogers have mobilized. You cannot wait any longer." Jayden opened his mouth to shoot back a reply, but Mentor continued talking. "It's time for you to create your team of Samurai Rangers."_

_Jayden let out a quiet noise of annoyance. "Are you __sure__ I'm ready to lead a team?" he asked, sounding doubtful. __They'd never be able to keep up. They haven't had the same formal, hard, training I've had__._

_"One Samurai is strong, but a team is unbeatable," Mentor replied as Jayden got to his feet. "Just remember your father's words as he left for his final battle."_

_Jayden frowned, feeling a pang hit him in the heart. He turned his head away, setting his jaw. "__One day the great responsibility of the Red Ranger will fall to you__." Jayden glanced down at the folded object in his hand, his father's words ringing in his ears. "__Remember; protect the world from evil, stand by your allies, and never run from a battle__."_

.

_"It's for the best," Jayden said. "Don't tell them I'm leaving." '__I'll never put them in harm's way again. This is my fight. I must find a better way__.'_

_"Ever since I got here, you've been preaching to us about how we need to work together as a team," Melody replied. "If you're so sure you can do this by yourself, why did you call them? Why did you personally come to collect me?" Jayden stayed silent as Melody turned on her heel and stepped inside. Before she opened the door, she turned back to face him. "Why do you even __have__ a team, Jay?"_

.

_"Leading us on dangerous missions is hard on you, but putting an old friend like him at risk too?" Mia asked. "That's too much pressure, huh?"_

_God, does she have to know everything__? Jayden thought roughly pushing her away. He let out a grunt of pain when Mia smacked him in the back of the knee, causing his knee to buckle and he dropped to the ground. She pointed the tip of her practice sword in his face. __Then again, that's Mia; always looking out for people and trying to find a way to help them._

_"I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?" Mia asked with a twitch of her eyebrow._

_"Think what you want," Jayden muttered, pushing her sword away from him._

.

_"What does having the lion as your zord mean to you, Jay?" Melody asked walking over to them, her arms crossed over her chest. Jaeger, as usual, sat perched on her shoulder. Jayden gave her a confused look. "It's a pretty simple question. What characteristics does a lion have that you have? That makes you worthy of the lion zord?"_

_"Leadership, strength, courage, honor, and wisdom," Jayden replied and Melody nodded._

_"Right," she agreed. "But, you don't know what else it can teach you." She started counting off on her fingers. "Hold your head high, even in times of conflict, and conduct yourself with dignity. Stand tall, and remember the power you hold. Show your authority, not in a dominating way, but lead others with a loving heart. Defend something that is dear to your heart. And most importantly; have courage, have faith." She smiled at Jaeger and ran her fingers through his fur. "Jaeger taught me that a little while after he first arrived. And I've lived every day as a Ranger following those guidelines."_

_"So, what does that have to do with—" Melody put up a hand and silenced him._

_"Have faith that Antonio can do this," she replied. "From what you've told us, all he's wanted to do was to be a Samurai and to fight alongside you. I don't know about you, but I couldn't ask for a better friend. However, I know how you feel; I may not have been leader when I first became a Ranger, but my team was made up of friends I've had since I was eight. It only got harder to see them injured during battle, but it was something I got through and I know you can to." She glanced over at Antonio and added, "He's spent his whole life training to become a Samurai, to fight alongside you. If that's not loyalty then I don't know what is. He deserves to be on this team, just like me."_

.

_"I hope you're ok, dad," Jayden muttered, his bottom lip quivering. "I can't see you, but you said you'd go to heaven one day." He lifted a hand and waved it towards the sky. "Can you see me?"_

_"Jayden! Here you are!"_

_Jayden spun around, his feet sliding as he nearly fell off the bleacher, but he caught himself and saw Ji hurrying over to him, wrapped in a coat, holding an umbrella over his head. Jayden wiped at his eyes, pressing his lips together. _

_When Ji reached his side, the questions started spilling out of his mouth: "Are you ok? I've been looking all over for you. Why aren't you wearing a coat? You could get sick. How long have you been out here?" He unzipped his coat to reveal Jayden's, dry, red coat, quickly putting it on the smaller boy, zipping it up to his chin. "I was worried about you."_

_"Sorry," Jayden replied. He slowly made his way down the bleachers, pulling his hood up over his head. He picked up the fallen, and now dirty, foldingzord, wiping as much dirt off as possible. He stared down as it unfolded into a Lion, running up his arm, stopping on his shoulder. His dad's final words echoed in his mind, "_Remember; protect the world from evil, stand by your allies, and never run from a battle."

_Jayden reached up to grab the foldingzord and it transformed back into its emblematic state, and stared down at it. He always knew that he would take over the role as Red Ranger from his dad and lead his own team, but he didn't know when it was going to happen. But, he wasn't scared. _

_"Ji," he said, looking up at his friend. "Let's go home. I have to train; I have to be the Red Ranger; just like my dad."_

"Stop."

Jayden reached up and grabbed Melody's wrists, blinking open his eyes. He felt cold despite the sun shining down on the two of them. His breath was coming out shaky. He swallowed thickly, looking over at Melody, who was silently looking back at him. She was so close that he could see all of the freckles that were across her nose.

"You're so different now," Melody commented, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're more open…" She shook her head from side to side. "Don't close up on me, Jay, on us."

A jingle hit the air and Jayden jumped, quickly letting go of her wrists, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He opened up his text messages, his eyes darting back and forth as he read. "Antonio says it's almost time for dinner," he announced as he put his cell phone back into his pocket.

"Cool," Melody replied, getting to her feet. She grabbed her shoes and climbed back up onto the flat surface of the cliff. Jayden brushed off the seat of his pants before taking Melody's outstretched hand, allowing her to pull him up. He then grabbed his shoes and the two of them made their way back to the Shiba car. "Uhh, Jayden."

"Hmm?" Jayden asked, looking over at her, breaking his gaze from the sand.

"You can let go of my hand now," Melody replied, shaking his arm.

Jayden instantly dropped her hand, clearing her throat. "So, yeah, I'll drive home," Jayden said, holding out his hand for the keys. Melody dug it out of her pocket and slapped it into his chest, walking by him to get into the passenger seat of the car.

"So why was it that you were the one that came after me?" she asked as she pulled open the car door.

"Well, Antonio offered, but I didn't think you were in the mood for jokes and lighthearted conversation," Jayden replied as he got into the driver's seat, slamming the door shut behind him. He stuck the keys in the ignition and turned on the car. "Plus, I knew that if he went with you, you would be the only to come back as he would be lying in a ditch somewhere."

"As usual, you're right," Melody replied as they snapped their seat belts into the buckle. She looked over at him.

He looked up.

The two smiled at each other.

* * *

"Hey, kid," Melody called, walking into Emily's room. She made a beeline for the Yellow Ranger's bedroom as soon as she got back to the Shiba House. She found Emily lying face down on her bed. The Purple Ranger twisted her mouth to the side as she watched Emily roll over so she wouldn't face her. "You ok?" Emily made a noise in the back of her throat. "You're not going to make this easy for me are you?"

"Nope," Emily replied with a shake of her head. Melody laughed a little bit and stepped farther into the room. She sat down on Emily's bed, watching the Yellow Ranger. "I want to apologize to you, but before I do that, I want you to know why I went off on you." She scratched the back of her neck. "I didn't mean to make you cry; that was the last thing I wanted to do. I'm not saying that I wasn't wrong to yell at you because I was and I recognize that."

"Really?" Emily asked, rolling back over to face her friend.

"Really," Melody replied with a nod. She pursed her lips for a moment. "Ok, maybe apologizing first will be best, so I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you and I'm sorry I called you a bitch. You're not a bitch, you never have been a bitch, and you're never going to be a bitch because you're one of the nicest people I've ever met."

She let out a heavy sigh. "It's not an excuse, I don't want it to sound like an excuse, and you probably won't even believe me, but I wasn't myself when those words came out of my mouth." Emily's eyebrows rose. "I know, I know. I didn't feel like myself, I felt like I was having an out of body experience; like I was watching it all happen from above. Or…or that I knew what was going on, but I couldn't stop it. And it's not the first time I've experienced something like that."

Emily sat up, listening intently. "Back in high school, when I was still getting used to these powers, I felt like everything was falling apart. I just found out about my dad and brothers, I was nearly failing all of my classes and walking the fine line of having to repeat a year…again, and I freaked out my friends by wanting to kill my best friend."

"What?" Emily breathed, her eyes widening.

"It was the first time my powers got the best of me. I was a kid, I was stupid and was using it for anything and everything because I thought it was so cool. Between you and me, I used the fact that Ic could read minds to cheat on some tests once." Melody's upper lip curled slightly. "Not the best idea, trust me. Anyway, I was choking my friend, Jason, out. I saw the panic in his eyes; the fear, and the look of betrayal. I apologized to him later for it, I told him that I couldn't control what I was doing but at the same time, I_ knew _what I was doing. He forgave me of course, but since then, I've tried to be sure that I never felt like that again." She brushed her hair behind her ears. "Billy said he'd help me, and he did, way more than I could ever thank him for."

"What happened?" Emily asked.

"I felt stuck," Melody replied, "which is something that I've felt a lot over the years…typically whenever my mentor, Zordon, told me I couldn't join in a fight, or whenever my friends suggested it. I understood why, but I hated it. I felt like…they didn't want to keep _me _safe, they wanted to keep _themselves _safe from getting hurt. By me. But you see, no one can really do that." Melody tilted her head to the side. "I try and do the same, I try not to let anyone, especially myself, hurt me. And look at that, I did it again."

Emily dew a circle into her comforter. "I just wanted to prove to everyone that I'm as tough as you guys," she said quietly.

"I completely understand that, but I already knew that you were tough," Melody replied and Emily gave a hint of a smile. "Who else could get through a fight with Negatron and not let anything he said affect you. You ran in front of Dayus path when she was going to strike Mia, you returning to the Shiba House despite knowing your family's situation, I could go on."

"Please do," Emily said and Melody laughed.

"You're such a fruit cake," Melody said with a shake of her head. "Anyway, Em, I was proud of you in all of those instances."

"You were?" Emily asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Of course," Melody relied with a snort. "You don't stop until you get what you want; keeping your family safe while there's Nihghlok running around, earning your spot on the team—which by the way, you never lost—and whatever else you set your mind to."

"That doesn't matter, one of it does," Emily replied with a shake of her head.

"You family doesn't matter?" Melody asked, her eyebrows shooting up. "Your hometown doesn't matter? This Earth doesn't matter? We don't matter? Mike doesn't matter?" She laughed. "Em, the reason why we're fighting is to give everybody another chance to see the sun rise, to do something they never thought they'd do, to do whatever they want. If none of that matters, then I didn't need to be a Ranger again."

Emily was quiet for a moment. "If that's why you're a Ranger, why did you stop?"

"Like I said, I felt stuck," Melody replied. "But, when I found out my dad had cancer, it all changed; life could end at any moment. Moving from Angel Grove to Panorama, I didn't feel stuck anymore. It was a new city, a new start not just for me, but for my dad. His cancer got caught early enough that he's going to be ok, but I can't help but worry about him. I didn't want to be at home and worry, I wanted to be out here making sure he'd always have someone around to make sure he could the treatment he needed. I don't feel stuck here. My heart has always been in it; I like helping people." She shrugged. "And it's been fun." She pointed a warning finger at her. "Don't' tell anyone I said that."

"Ok," Emily replied with a shrug.

"And that's really what's kept me going," Melody said with another shrug, "the fun that I've been having with all of you guys. Despite the fact that you all can annoy me from time to time."

"Oh, like you don't annoy us?" Emily asked, grabbing a pillow, smacking Melody in the side with it. "Your emotions change faster than a slot machine."

"Which is why I don't show my emotions that often," Melody said with a sigh. "They're a big insecurity of mine to be honest. I can hurt people with my thoughts and feelings way more than I can physically hurt them. Wounds heal, but wounds from words don't; not as quickly and sometimes they don't ever fully heal." She let out a sigh through her nose. "Which is why I'm apologizing; I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean to and God knows I don't want to hurt you…any of you guys."

"It's ok," Emily replied. "I'm sorry I treated your friends like I did. I _did_ kind of go over the top."

"Yeah…but you actually made them want to go out and work hard towards something," Melody replied, slowly nodding. "Not that they've never done anything worthwhile, but I'm confident in knowing that things will work out for them when I can't keep a close eye on 'em." She pressed her lips together for a moment. "But, something tells me I need to keep a close eye on you, too. You know, if Mike doesn't beat me to it." Emily blushed. Melody's eyebrows knitted together slightly. "What?"

"Nothing," Emily replied with a shake of her head.

"Mike _did_ come talk to you, right?" Melody asked and Emily nodded. The Purple Ranger laughed a little bit. "So why are you acting like that's a weird thing. Did something happen?" Emily scratched the back of her head. "Oh my god, something _did_ happen."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Emily replied.

"Ok, I'm just going to cut to the chase here, did you guys kiss?" Melody asked. Emily's lips twitched and Melody started laughing. "I _knew _spending all that time with Kim would pay off." She slapped Emily's leg. "You guys _so _did." Melody jumped to her feet. "Hey, Mia, you have to hear this." She hurried towards the door. "Mia!"

"No!" Emily shouted, jumping onto Melody's back.

Melody stumbled a little bit before she hooked her arms around Emily's legs, giving her a piggy back ride as she hurried down the hall. "I knew that'd get you out of your room," she commented with a laugh.

"Nooo, it was the smell of lasagna," Emily protested.

"Let's just hope Mia wasn't the one who made it," Melody muttered and Emily laughed.

The next morning, the Samurai Rangers were around the house training in some way or another. Mike, Kevin, and Melody were outside sparring with their swords (Melody with her shinai) and Jayden, Mia, and Emily were inside, working on their kanji. Azure and Jaeger were sparring against each other, occasionally calling or a Ranger to join them to practice a combination they worked on.

Kevin let out a noise of frustration when Mike stopped in the middle of sword techniques and went to grab an apple from the plate of fruit that sat outside to serve as their breakfast. He took a large bite out of it, crunching loudly.

"Oh my god, _stop_!" Melody called over to him, her hands over her ears. Jaeger and Azure had pained looks on their faces their hands also over their ears.

"That's your _third _apple," Jaeger added.

"In _fifteen minutes_," Azure concluded.

"I can't believe you're still hungry," Kevin said, slowly shaking his head from side to side, staring at Mike in disbelief. "We ate up a storm the other day." He put a hand to his stomach. "I _still _don't think I could eat anything."

"Fast metabolism," Mike said with a shrug. "Besides, I thought you'd be happy. It's heaaalllthyyy." He wigged the fruit in Kevin's face before taking another bite.

"Spandex only stretches so far, Mike," Kevin said with a mocking pitying sound.

"Mmmm, unfortunately, I think it'll start letting out the minute he morphs," Melody commented, walking a circle around Mike.

"Are you looking at my butt?" Mike asked, craning his neck so he could look at her.

"Well, considering its right here, yeah, dude," Melody replied with a laugh, smacking him on the butt with her shinai for added measure. Mike yelped, jumping forward before reaching out a hand to shoved her shoulder. She gave him a knowing look. "I highly doubt I'm the only one that's looked."

"Shut up," Mike replied, narrowing his eyes as he pointed the tip of his sword at her. Melody put her hands up defensively, stepping away from him. Mike swallowed thickly. "Tell you what, I bet you I can beat you with one arm fat and all." He took another bite of his apple before tossing it up into the air, catching it in his hand.

"Bring it on, Jolly Green Giant," Kevin replied, swinging his sword around once before getting into position. Mike rolled his shoulders before stepping up to face him.

"On my mark," Melody said, glancing back and forth between the two boys. They gave brief nods. "Go."

Kevin attacked first, aiming strikes at Mike's head. Mike dodged both of them before swinging up his sword, stopping Kevin's with a clang. He grinned, winking as he took another bite of his apple. Kevin's upper lip curled into a look of disbelief and annoyance before he struck Mike's sword away, knocking him off balance. Mike's Spin Sword dropped to the ground and Kevin smirked, holding his Spin Sword up towards Mike's chest. Mike's eyes widened slightly before he shoved his apple onto the tip of Kevin's sword.

"Mike!" Kevin groaned, lifting his Spin Sword to get a closer look at it. As quick as he could, Mike used his foot to launch his Spin Sword into his hand and he swung the blade over to Kevin's throat and gently tapped him under the chin. Kevin's face dropped.

"Winner; Mike," Melody called before tucking her shinai underneath her arm to start clapping.

"Ha! I wisn," Mike declared with a grin. "And you got served."

"That doesn't count!" Kevin said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, it counts," Melody said with a laugh. "Nice work, Mighty Green. Thanks some great thinking."

"It's cheating," Kevin protested.

"Creative thinking," Melody replied.

"Hey, I can't compete with your technique," Mike said as he moved to get his cup of water. "I had no choice but to outwit you."

Kevin was about to protest again, but he paused as he caught onto what Mike had said. A slow smile came to his face. "Was that a compliment?" he asked the Green Ranger. Mike let out a loud laugh.

"Me compliment you?" he asked as his eyebrows shot up. "Ha! No way."

They heard a sigh and turned to see Jayden leaning against the back doorway to the Shiba House, his arms crossed over his chest. "I heard Mike declare the fight," he explained. "If you two could work together as well as you compete against each other, you'd both be twice as strong. We're a team remember? We have to work together and to accept that we're all different."

"You're asking for a miracle, Jay, the day these two co-operate, hell the day Kevin and _I _co-operate is the day we defeat Xandred without breaking a sweat," Melody commented, putting a hand to her hip.

"If you don't mind, we still have training we need to finish," Jaeger called, loudly cracking his knuckles.

Jayden opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the Gap Sensor going on. "Rangers, let's go," Jayden said before hurrying into the house.

"Wait," Mike said, throwing his arm out to catch Kevin's chest. "Looks like it's our chance to show them how well we work together." He went to hurry inside, but stopped at the doorway, stopping Melody as she rushed towards him after putting up her shinai. "Hey, I may be joking around with you, but I don't forgive you for what you said to Emily."

"Didn't expect you to," Melody replied, blinking once, her face straight.

"Just so we're clear," Mike replied before hurrying inside.

Melody watched him go before motioning or Kevin, Jaeger, and Azure to follow her inside. Mentor gave them the location of the Nighlok and after Jayden gave the order for Azure to stay behind, the Rangers hurried to the scene of the Nighlok appearance.

Once they arrived they found a Nighlok and some Moogers attacking a bunch of civilians. They immediately got to work, plowing through the Moogers as they hurried towards the Nighlok, making sure the attacked civilians were getting to safety and out of the way of fallen debris from the buildings that were crumbling down around them. Jayden quickly transformed his Spin Sword into the Fire Smasher to block the attack from the Nighlok. Kevin and Mike jumped out from behind the shield and rushed towards the Nighlok with the other Rangers close behind them.

"Together we'll shut you down quick," Mike declared as the Rangers circled the Nighlok. "Right guys?"

"Yeah, you can't beat all of us when we're working together," Mia replied, her arms flying up as a strike from her Spin Sword, bounced off the Nighlok's hard exterior.

"Together, huh?" the Nighlok asked, his eyes starting to glow. "That gives me an idea."

"Rangers, look out," Jayden shouted, "we're in too close of proximity."

The Rangers hurried out of the way, stumbling into each other as they tried to get out of the Nighlok's way. Melody grunted when Kevin collided into her side. He turned to run in a different direction and Melody let out a yelp of pain when she felt her arm yank in his direction, feeling it was going to be pulled out of its socket. She used her left hand to grab Kevin's arm to stop him from running and then noticed the glob of white that linked their hands together.

"Kev," she called to him.

"What?" Kevin asked, before looking down. "What the hell?" He started pulling at it. "What in the orld is this?"

"I don't care, get it off," Melody replied. She tried to pull her arm back through the gap, but it was stuck tight. She then used her other hand to try and pry at it, as Kevin grabbed it. Then another chunk of white goop wrapped around their other hands.

"Oh, no, not the other one, too," Kevin cried. He swung his arms around, trying to break free. Melody slammed into his chest and the two of them fell over, causing the Nighlok to burst out laughing.

"It's not funny!" Mike shouted and everyone turned to see that he and Emily where stuck together as well, but with one of their arms and not both. "Fix us, now!"

"Hmm, no I don't think so," the Nighlok said, pretending to think. He then turned towards Jayden, Mia, and Jaeger who took a cautious step back. "And as for you; I think you need some more white on your uniforms. The Nighlok then fired a chunk of goop at them, but Jayden swung his flaming Fire Smasher, cutting it in half, watching as the two chunks burned as it hit the floor.

"Scattershot!"

The Nighlok groaned as black disc after black disc struck him over and over and over again, driving him back away from the Rangers as Antonio ran up to the Rangers. "Sorry I'm late," he called, gently hitting Jayden's shoulder with the Light Zord. I had to be sure LZ was charged up and ready to go."

"You got here just in time," Jayden replied as he watched the Nighlok slip through a gap. "It seems like we're in a sticky situation. Pun intended."

* * *

**A/N: **For those of you who were waiting for it, the Kevin/Mia moment will be in the next chapter.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	42. Chapter 42: Sticky Situation

**.:Chapter Forty-Two – Sticky Situation and Kevin's Doubt:.**

* * *

The Rangers arrived back at the Shiba House, calling for Mentor and Azure as they made their way into the house. With the way Emily and Mike's hands were glued together, they had an easy time walking, but Kevin and Melody stumbled around, trying to fit through the doors, snapping at each other as they went.

"Stop. Pulling. Me!" Melody said through clenched teeth as she sped up her pace so she walked by Kevin's side, instead of being practically dragged through the house.

"If you could just keep up, I wouldn't have to pull you," Kevin shot back. "If we walk like this, we wo''t have to worry about bending my arm into a pretzel." Melody set her jaw before stepping on his foot accidentally on purpose. "Ouch! That's my foot!"

"Just sit down before you do even more damage," Antonio said as he and Jayden pushed two ottomans into the center of the room. The two Rangers sat down, facing each other. "Ok, so how are we going to get them out of these things?"

"One of you two go see if you can find the Nighlok in the archives," Jayden said to Azure and Jaeger as he tapped his chin with his hand. "Pay careful attention to what this goop is made of."

"You got it," Azure replied, hurrying off.

"Jaeger, go to Cody's and see if you can get either of them here, they might have a home ready that could help us out," Jayden said to Jaeger. "Plus, there's no telling what kind of reaction this stuff can have to their skin." Jaegr gave a brief nod of his head before disappearing in a flash of light.

"Maybe if we just destroy the Nighlock this stuff will go away," Mia suggested with a shrug. "It seems to work with every other Nighlok we've come across that's had a curse or spell use on us."

"That's true," Jayden said with a nod as Mike and Emily sat down on the oak table. 'We'll call that plan B as I don't think it'd be a good idea to try and lure the Nighlok out here with four of our teammates out of commission." He then turned back to the other Rangers. "Have you tried seeing if you could force your hands out?"

"Now _there's _an idea," Melody said with a roll of her eyes. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"It was just a suggestion, Mel," Jayden said with a small frown.

"This stuff is kind of flexible, but it doesn't stretch," Kevin said, proving his point by slowly twisting his wrist. Jayden watched as the hardened glue around their hands bent and twisted. But, when Kevin pulled on it, it didn't budge.

"Alright, let me try something," Jayden said, sticking his hand out into the air. He flexed his wrist, and his Spin Sword appeared in his hands. He looked over at Kevin and Melody and then at Mike and Emily. He tilted his head towards the Blue and Purple Rangers. "I'm going to start with them; with at least one of your hands free, you can still do more than they can."

"Whatever you say, Jayden," Emily replied with a nod.

"I don't know, I think you should leave them," Mike said with a grin. "They'd make some great reality TV." Everyone turned to look at him, making a face and he shrugged. "Just saying."

"Whenever you're ready, Jay," Melody said with a shrug. "Just get it over with."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kevin asked, a worried look crossing his face as Jayden took his Spin Sword in both hands.

"Only idea I have right now," Jayden replied, raising and lowering his shoulder before holding his Spin Sword up into the air, above his head. "Ready?" He looked at both Rangers and they nodded.

Kevin squeezed his eyes shut. Jayden raised himself up onto his tip toes before swinging down his sword. A shockwave of pain shot up Jayden's arms as the blade connected with the hardened glue. He stumbled back when his blade bounced off of the glue. He landed on his butt, his back hitting the seat behind him. "Ow."

"Are you ok, amigo?" Antonio asked, holding out his hand to help Jayden to his feet.

"Yeah," Jayden replied, giving Antonio a nod of thanks as soon as he was on his feet. He glanced at his Spin Sword before putting his free hand on his hip. "Well, that didn't work."

"I have an idea," Melody said, looking at Kevin, quirking an eyebrow. "It's would probably work, but there's a downside to it."

"I'll try anything if it means I can get free," Kevin commented with a heavy sigh as he slowly opened his eyes. "What is it?"

"Well…with my idea, there's a good chance I could set you on fire," Melody slowly replied and Kevin's eyes widened.

"_No_," he said firmly.

"Oh come on, it's not like you couldn't put it out," Melody said with a roll of her eyes, "you _are _the Samurai of water."

"In case you haven't noticed, _I can't move my wrists_," Kevin all but shouted in her face. "How do you expect me to draw a symbol to put myself out when I can't move my wrists?"

"Why don't you tell me, Mr. Samurai?" Melody shot back.

"I don't think anything we have is going to work, "Azure commented as she walked back into the room, a book in her hands. "The Nighlok is Epoxar and this glue; it's tougher than the bones in your body."

"Bones can snap," Melody immediately replied.

"Don't even think about it," Kevin replied warily. He let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry guys. This is all my fault."

"No, don't apologize," Emily said, hurrying to Kevin's side, dragging Mike with her. She put her hand on the Blue Ranger's shoulder. "You guys didn't do anything wrong. It was a freak accident."

"We let that Nighlok get away," Kevin protested.

"_You _let that Nighlok get away," Melody corrected him . His lips twitched, but he didn't say anything. "If you didn't run into me, this wouldn't have happened." She groaned, tilting her head back. "We could be stuck like this forever."

"We'll fix this," Mia insisted, "as soon as the Nighlok comes back." She ran a hand over her face. "Maybe we could use our symbol power on this thing."

"If the Spin Sword doesn't work, I don't think Symbol Power would either," Azure said with a shake of her head. "But, that's just my opinion." She then suddenly looked to a spot at her left. "Oh, Jaeger's back." A split second later Jaeger was standing in the Shiba House with Cody by his side.

"Hey guys," Cody said with a smile and a wave before adjusting the backpack that was on his back. He then tilted his head to the side when he saw the Rangers that were stuck together. He reached out a hand and prodded the glue. "Hmm, this is interesting."

"Do you think you can get us out of these things?" Mike asked, waving his arm in the air, forcing Emily to do the same.

"I'll try," Cody replied as he walked over to them, setting his bag down onto the ground. He rooted around inside for a moment before pulling out a small jar with a dropper top. He glanced at the label for a moment before twisting off the top, squeezing the dropper before checking to see how much he had in it.

"What is that?" Emily asked.

"Hold still," Cody replied, holding the dropper over the glue.

"Dude, seriously, what is it?" Mike asked.

"Sulfuric Acid," Cody replied . Mike jumped just as Cody started squeezing the liquid over the glue. Some of it got onto the glue and some of it got onto Mike's arm. He instantly started to panic, grabbing his shirt to wipe at the area and shouting about his arm burning. "Mike. _Mike_, calm down."

"Calm down?" Mike asked, "oh my god it's burning. It's burning."

"I was kidding," Cody said loudly, grabbing Mike's arm. "The main ingredient in this thing is hot sauce. You're fine."

"…oh," Mike said, calming down. He flushed when the Rangers all started laughing at him. "It's not funny."

"You're right, it's not," Cody replied as he reached into his bag to pull out a small saw. He placed it against the hardened glue and started to hack at it. His face turned bright red as he tried to cut through the glue. He went through all the contents in his bag, even wanting to try out the idea of using a blow torch, but Ji quickly shot down that idea. "Well, that's all the ideas I've had. This stuff is on tight."

"Looks like you guys aren't going into battle until we can figure this out," Jayden said, raking his fingers through his hair. He instantly spotted the looks of protest on Kevin, Mike, and Melody's faces. "Unless you really learn how to work with this, there's no way you can fight."

"But, we can learn," Kevin said, jumping to his feet, lifting Melody with him. "It can't be that hard."

"Who am I to back down from a challenge?" Melody added. "I'm not going to be stuck in this house."

"Well, at least they agree on something." Mia commented with a sigh through her nose. "All of you are great Rangers, but you really need to be in sync for this. Mike and Emily…that'd be easier for them they have a hand free, but they've been working well together since they got here. You two on the other hand—"

"Are going to need a lot of help," Jaeger said, crossing his arms over his chest, shaking his head.

"We won't let down the team again," Kevin declared. He shook his wrists. "We'll learn to fight like this."

"Yeah, we just need a little practice, learn how to fight with each other," Melody said. "I know how he fights when I'm sparring against him so this can't be that hard."

Jayden ran a hand over his face and into his hair, pressing his lips together. He didn't think it was a good idea. Mia was right; Mike and Emily would learn how to work together faster than Kevin and Melody could. They were both headstrong people. But, when it came down to it, the two of them were brave Samurai and they both had ambition, wanting to the best Rangers they could be.

"Alright, we'll give it a shot." Jayden said with a sigh.

"This should be interesting," Antonio said with a grin, rubbing his hands together.

"Something tells me this isn't going to end well," Cody commented, hurrying after the Rangers as they made their way outside.

"With the two of them? It never does," Mia commented, her lips twitching as she followed everyone outside.

"And this is why we have a plan B," Jayden said to himself as he tapped the tip of his Spin Sword against the floor before following the other Rangers outside.

And that was proven pretty quickly. All Kevin and Melody did was argue with each other and stumble over each other as they tried to fight. Mike and Emily worked a little better as they each had a hand free, but that didn't work in their favor as much as they couldn't decide which hand to hold a shinai in and which to use their Samuraizer with.

It was almost too painful to watch. Mia and Antonio, who had volunteered to spar against the glued Rangers. Neither of the Rangers barely moved enough to break a sweat against the Rangers. It almost made no sense that they couldn't spar correctly. They could easily fight side by side with any member of the team while in battle, but the minute their hands were taken away, they couldn't work with each other at all. It made sense, but in essence, it just showed the cracks in the foundation of the Ranger team.

And that's what freaked Jayden out. As the days wore on it seemed like they were falling apart more and more.

"Alright, we can do this," Kevin said, breathing heavily as he and Melody picked themselves up off the ground for the umpteenth time. Mia gave an impatient sigh. "We'll get it, Mia, don't worry. We just..we just have to get back to the basics."

"What? Standing up?" Antonio asked, raising his eyebrows. "Keeping your balance."

"Don't push it, Goldy," Melody snapped through clenched teeth, her eyes flashing dangerously. Antonio put his hands up defensively.

"You guys…I think this is pointless," Mia said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yes, I agree you need to get back to the basics, but not with how you fight, but how you make friends."

"Kevin's my friend," Melody protested. "My annoying, asshole, of a friend, but my friend. That's not the problem."

"The problem is that she won't let me take lead," Kevin replied.

Melody scoffed. "Who _died _and made you leader?" she asked.

Jayden squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "_Stop,_" he called loudly, getting everyone's attention. He was silent for a moment. Pressing his lips together, he shifted his weight from foot to foot. He looked over at Cody and the small boy, who was flipping through the book from the archive that Azure had been looking at earlier, looked back up at him. "Just stop."

"Jayden," Melody said quietly and Jayden put up a hand, effectively stopping her from talking.

"How hard is it for you to put your differences aside and work together?" Jayden asked. "You heard Mother Nature, that's what we have to do to really be able to work together. We have to trust each other and rely on each other and believe that we can do things together." He motioned towards Mike and Emily. "They're doing better than the two of you because they actually like each other and can stand to be in a five foot radius as each other."

The Yellow and Green Rangers exchanged glances, before looking away from each other, trying to step away from each other as far as they could go. "I can't stress this enough; you aren't in sync; you can't even think together, which is odd considering Mel's powers. You all need to learn to work together and to do that, you're going to have to sort out your differences." He threw his arms into the air. "Go..talk somewhere. I don't care where, just go talk."

He then turned on his heels and made his way back into the house.

* * *

The noise of the tickling clock was the only thing that really kept the room from being totally silent. Mike and Emily sat on her bed, turned away from each other as much as they could—which wasn't really all that much as his right and her left hands were glued together.

Apart from their breathing, that was all you can hear. Occasionally the bed springs would groan as either of them would shift from one uncomfortable position to an even more uncomfortable position on the bed, avoiding each other's glances. They haven't spoken a single word in basically since they got back to the Shiba House. Mike scratched his neck, glanced down at my shoes, ran a hand through his hair, whistled, anything but talked.

"Mike, talk." Her voice seems like it should echo, because of the amount of silence there's been.

Mike raised his eyebrows. "Talk?" His voice cracked.

"Are we just going to sit here and not speak again for another five minutes? Or are we _actually_ going to talk about what happened?" she asked, turning to face his side. Mike cringed.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say," Mike slowly replied as he let out a sigh, turning to face her as well. His eyebrows crinkled together slightly. "I'm sorry?"

Emily's jaw dropped slightly as she gave him a pitying look. It wasn't like she knew what to say either, but she would've sure as well hoped that he knew what to say in a situation like this. "ive minutes of thinking and that's all you got?" she asked.

"Well, do you have any bright ideas?" Mike asked, with a shake of his head. "Well, what the hell else am I supposed to say?"

Emily frowned. "Why'd you kiss me?" she asked quietly.

"If I knew the answer to that question, I wouldn't have sat there that long," Mike muttered. "I'm hungry." Emily couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

"You're always hungry," Emily said, using her free hand to shove his shoulder. Mike laughed a little bit, smiling at her. "Ok, so we've established... pretty much nothing, apart from the fact that you like to eat, but we all knew that."

"This is weird..." Mike suddenly said. "Us not being able to talk. We were able to talk about everything before…before we—uh, _I_ kissed you."

Emily slowly nodded. "Yeah, it is." Silence fell over the two of them again. "Um, sorry."

"About what?" Mike asked.

"Well, I didn't…kiss you back," Emily replied, reaching up her hand to scratch the back of her head. She quickly changed hands when she realized that his hand went flying up when she moved hers. "It's..well, sorry."

"That's ok, I guess," Mike said, with a shrug. "I didn't really plan on it. It just happened, I guess." He sighed. "Ok, look—"

"It's ok," Emily said with a shake of her head. "You and me.. we're able to talk about anything. I guess I just don't know why it has to change now. I mean, it's what we do."

"Yeah, but we kissed in your room," Mike pointed out, raising his eyebrows. "Is that what we also do?"

"Uhh..." Emily could feel herself blush as her eyes shifted around the room. "I don't know! Don't look at me."

Mike's eyes widened. "Well, don't look at _me_," he cried, throwing his arms into the air, knocking Emily's arm up.

"I'm looking at you because _you_ initiated the stupid kiss," Emily replied.

"Now the kiss was stupid?" Mike asked, his eyebrows shooting up. He snorted. "There you go again, Mike, doing something stupid." He shook his head back and forth. "That's the norm for me, right? Doing something stupid?"

"That's not what I meant, Mike, and you know it" Emily said with a heavy sigh. Another pause of silence.  
"I've…never been kissed before that. I've never had a boyfriend before."

All through her life guys always picked on her. She did have a _few_ guy friends, but they all looked at her like she was their sister or a little kid that always tagged along with them. They _spoke_ to her like a sister, and teased her like a sister.

"You've never had a boyfriend before?" Mike asked, looking extremely surprised.

"What's it to you?" Emily shot back, feeling herself blush even harder. "It's just that…no one has ever seen me as more than a little kid or Serena's little sister." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean, before I got here and met you. You never treated me like a kid." She shrugged. "I kind of like the idea of being…wanted by someone. Having someone happy to see me every day, who actually cared about what was going on in my life; like you."

"Well…I've never had a girlfriend either," Mike slowly replied and it was Emily's turn to look surprised. "Don't be too surprised. It's like I said, I kept my focus and attention on video games and girls never really thought that was the 'cool' thing."

"But you're…_Mike_," Emily replied. "Who wouldn't like you?" Mike just shrugged. "So...what are we, now?"

"I don't know," Mike said, running a hand over his face. "I mean, we all know the rules of the house, and I haven't ever really felt this way about a girl before, and…I liked the kiss." He gave her a brief smile, half his mouth turning up. "I guess you didn't 'cause you did…you know, kiss back."

"Oh." Emily's eyes popped open slightly. "It's just…well, you kinda—"

"Caught you off guard?" Mike asked, raising his eyebrows and Emily slowly nodded. Mike started nodding as well. "Yeah. So, uh, with the rules and, um, everything-" he trailed off before sticking out his right hand. He frowned as he watched Emily's left hand move with his. He then lifted his left hand. "Friends?"

Emily relaxed into a smile slapping his palm with her free hand. "Friends."

"Cool," Mike replied with a nod.

"So…now what?" Emily asked.

A thoughtful look crossed his face before he started to grin. "You want to go watch Kevin and Mel kill each other?"

They jumped as the Gap Sensor went off. "While that is entertaining, I think we can do something else that's fun," Emily said, to Mike. "I mean, if you want to test it out. We know how each other fights, we can do this." She got to her feet. "Are you with me?"

"Always," Mike replied, giving her a grin.

Emily smiled, blusing.

* * *

"Jayden," Antonio called as he stepped into the room that his friend and the Purple Ranger shared. Jayden was standing at the window. Antonio walked up behind him and saw that Melody and Kevin were sitting in the middle of the backyard, talking, looking frustrated with each other.

"You ok, dude?" he asked, gently elbowing his friend in the side.

"For the first time…I've really accepted that everything could go wrong," Jayden said quietly. "That we could lose this fight against Xandred." He turned around to face his friend, resting against the window sill, crossing his arms over his chest.

Antonio gave a half smile, "We've managed to get through tougher things; defeating Deker, facing off against Serrator—"

"It doesn't seem to get any easier," Jayden commented.

He started to feel like he was being a broken record, sounding so depressed and talking about the things they couldn't do or haven't done. But, it was that one question ("Who died and made you leader?") that it really hit him what was going to happen.

One of them was going to die.

They were only able to do all those thing because he could rely on them, because they were working together. But, their differences have been revealing themselves more and more as each struggle has represented itself. But, they had a secret weapon, he just didn't know how to tell them. And that was putting more and more pressure on him as well.

"We don't even know what Decker wants," Antonio shrugged, "and we've been making a lot of progress in this fight."

"There are still Nighlok out there we haven't defeated, who's going to come back with a vengenece, when the time is right," Jayden said with a shake of his head. "When we don't know how to work as a team anymore." He then gave Antonio a pointed look. "We know what Deker wants. The ultimate duel; with me. That's what everyone wants; to get back at the Red Ranger."

"He wants the ultimate duel," Antonio replied. "But, from what I gather, he had the opportunity with you the last time and you defeated him. "Maybe the duel isn't mean to be with you." Jayden gave him a look of confusion. "I've just been thinking, maybe if the rest of us work really hard with our training, we could as good as you, or close to as good as you, and then we could free you up for focusing on defeating Xandred."

Jayden slowly shook his head back and forth as he listened to Antonio's suggestion, and the more the Gold Ranger talked, the faster he shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "I'm not allowing you all to get hurt for me. I can't risk you all getting hurt. I'll deal with Decker and—"

"And Serrator, and Terrorem, and Dayu, and Master Xandred?" Antonio listed off, counting on his fingers. "I understand that it's your mission to defeat Xandred, but that's it; defeating Xandred. It's our job to keep you safe until you can do that, and we can help you by defeating these guys."

Jayden still looked doubtful.

"We're a team, Jay," Antonio said to him and Jayden snorted. "Ok, maybe not right now, but you and I, we're a team. We've always been a team and we always will be a team. Even when we were kids, when we were fighting the potted plant in your backyard, we worked well together, we didn't have to say anything to each other to know what we were going to do next." He was silent for a moment. "I think the reason why this is all starting to fall apart is because we're all scared."

"Antonio—"

"We're all scared of what's going to happen next, each day when we're out there on the battlefield," Antonio said to Jayden, cutting him off. "We deal with it by fighting by ourselves on this team. We learn each other's moves when we spar just in case something happens, but that doesn't stop the fact that we still have each other's backs; to have your back."

"No!" Jayden insisted. He set his jaw, breathing in and out through his nose. "Decker is my responsibility, don't worry about him." Antonio had hit the nail on the head. He was scared. He was scared of not living up to what his father started, of not surviving the fight, of not being the Red Ranger that the other Rangers were looking for, and telling the other Rangers that he really _wasn't_ being the leader they looked up to.

"In case you've forgotten, Jay, I'm not a real Samurai," Antonio said, crossing his arms over his chest. He peered at Jayden. "Mel either. The both of us, we're not real Samurai and yet, we've decided to stay here to help you in this fight, to save your butt every chance we get. Because we care about you and so do the other Rangers."

"Antonio…"

"You of all people know that all I ever wanted to do was to have a purpose in my life outside of fishing," Antonio said with an odd laugh, throwing his arms into the air as he started to pace. "All I wanted to do was fight with you, fight beside you, and to show you that just because your last name is Shiba, doesn't mean you're the only one who cares the Samurai life, this house, and this city. We're here to keep each other safe and to keep everyone in this city safe."

"Antonio—"

"No matter what, at the end of each day we choose to be here in this house with you, learning to be Samurai because we know that this is where we're meant to be and we know that we were meant to be friends with each other," Antonio continued. "We're not normal. We' annoy each other, we piss each other off, stay stupid things and then take it back. But, if you put all that aside, you'll never find a group of people who care about each other more than we care about each other. We're a family. If anyone wants to do anything to hurt you, to hurt anyone else in this family, you better know that there isn't anything the rest of us won't do to get back at them."

"That's exactly what I don't want," Jayden said, tugging at his hair. "I've said it time and time again, I don't need anyone protecting me, I don't need any of you guys getting hurt."

"Have you taken into consideration that the only way we're getting hurt is because you keep shutting us out?" Antonio asked.

Jayden paused. _Don't close up on me, Jay, on us_.

"We fight together as a team, as a family, and none of us will get hurt," Antonio said. "The only way we get hurt is when we hurt each other." Jayden opened his mouth to respond, but closed it when he heard the Gap Sensor go off."What do you say, bro?"

Jayden couldn't help the smile that made its way to his face. "I say; let's show that Nighlok that we stick together whether or not he has to use glue to do it."

"Golden," Antonio said with a grin before the two of them hurried out of the room.

* * *

"We can't fight, we can't work on our symbol power, and we can't get groceries," Melody said with a deep frown. She was sitting in a shopping cart with the bag of food as Kevin pushed her through the city. "And we can't _eat_! How are we going to do anything."

"I think you're being a little dramatic," Kevin commented.

"I think you're not being dramatic enough," Melody replied. "So, I can get along with just about anybody, but this whole time and I haven't really been able to figure you out."

"Not much to figure out," Kevin replied after a moment of silence. "I swim, I train. That's it."

"That's not it," Melody replied, shaking her head, laughing a little bit. "That's not just it. You're Kevin…whatever you last name is. Not Kevin the Samurai and not Kevin the Swimmer. You're Kevin—" she raised her eyebrows pursing her lips slightly, waiting.

"De-Tiege," Kevin supplied for her. "My last name is De-Tiege."

"Right, you're Kevin De-Tiege," Melody said with a nod. "So, what am I missing?"

"I don't know what you mean," Kevin replied.

"Well, I'm Mel the friend, the daughter, the sister, the Samurai, the writer, the musician, the ex-girlfriend, the—"

"Pain in my side," Kevin said and the two of them laughed a little bit.

"What do you want me to say, Kev? Do you want me to say I'm a bitch?" Melody asked, an amused look on her face. She shrugged. "That's fine, I am a bitch. I was a bitch to Emily, I know I was. That's why I he isn't too fond with me at the moment, but, hey you can't win them all."

"How do you do that?" Kevin asked. "How do you make it that nothing seems to bother you?"

"Things bother me, Kev, trust me," Melody replied. She quirked an eyebrow. "Much like your annoying voice whenever you don't think anyone can be as good as you when it comes to anything Samurai related." She peered closely at him. "Your dad pushes you really hard with your training, doesn't he?"

"My dad's a great trainer," Kevin said.

"That's not what I was asking," Melody said with a shake of her head. "I don't doubt he was a good trainer, I mean, you _are _here in this house and next to Jayden, you're next in line to being the best swordsman."

"Was that a compliment?" Kevin asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It's bound to happen once in a while," Melody said deadpan. Kevin chuckled, shaking his head. "The point is, I don't think you believe in yourself. _You. Kevin_. I think you try and push the rest of us to be a part of your Samurai lifestyle because you don't know how to be yourself."

"Do you _always _talk like a fortune cookie?" Kevin asked.

"Only when I know that people listen to the fortune," Melody replied with a shrug. She peered at him. "You think you're two people, the swimmer and the Samurai, that makes up one whole Kevin that tries hard to please everybody around them because you're afraid to fail because you've never failed. Because if you did fail, you wouldn't be the perfect son your dad wants."

Kevin was silent for a long moment. "How do you know that?" he asked.

"Because I was the same way for my Uncle, but I couldn't be that way for long," Melody replied. "I've seen the look you get whenever you're down about the way you perform at training and whenever you get a comment from Jayden about what you need to work on. I've seen it before in the mirror when I couldn't seem to do anything right. I like to think of that as the Dark Ages of my rebellious teenage years."

"Those aren't done yet and you know it, you're only nineteen," Kevin replied.

"And when I turn twenty, I'll magically grown an inch or five and tone down on my sarcastic yet witty comments," Melody replied with a smirk as Kevin started laughing. She quickly realized that he had stopped laughing and was staring at a spot over her shoulder. "What?" Kevin nodded and she turned her head to see her friends racing down the street.

"Nighlok attack," Kevin announced.

"How did I not sense that?" Melody asked.

"Can't worry about it, now," Kevin replied. "I'm game if you are. I think we could use your shield to our advantage for my plan. If you're up for it; I could use your creative strategies."

"Wait a minute. Are _you_ complimenting _me _now?" Melody asked, her eyebrows shooting up.

"It's been known to happen," Kevin replied, looking as if it pained him to admit that he was in fact complimenting her. "But you have to admit that your creative fighting style has helped you out in some tight spots." He winced slightly when he heard a crashing sound. "So you want to try this? Working together?"

"Judging by what plan you have in mind, I think it could work," Melody replied, her eyes glowing. "And Jayden's right…if I know your next move we can be in sync. We can do this."

"Let's go then," Kevin replied before he started running, pushing the cart in front of him. As they got closer to the fight, they managed to get their Samuraizers out of their pockets.

"Go Go Samurai!"

* * *

Kevin rubbed his wrists which were now free from the glue that bound him and Melody together. He was happy to be free of the glue, to be able to use both hands to train again. He loved hearing the whistling sound of the shinai as it sliced through the air.

"Do you need help?" He turned his head and gave Mia a warm smile as she walked over to him, a shinai tucked under one arm, using her hands to adjust her pig tails. "If my memory serves me correctly, you weren't able to really practice earlier."

"We're partners, right?" Kevin asked and Mia laughed. "And friends?"

"Yeah," Mia replied, her eyebrows knitting together slightly. "Did you really have to ask to figure that out?"

"I haven't had a lot of friends," Kevin replied. "I mean, I always have friends on teams, but I haven't had any friends that I feel like I'd actually hang out with them after a season was over. Not until I got here I mean. I mean, I live with you guys, I know your bad habits. And despite all that, I don't have a problem hanging out with you."

"That's a good thing, right?" Mia asked, laughing a little bit as she lifted her shinai.

"Yeah, that's a good thing," Kevin replied, resting his shinai against hers. The two of them stood there for a moment, watching each other, waiting to see who was going to make the first move. She shifted and he instantly moved to the defense when she started advancing towards him, striking his shinai over and over again. "You're all like my brothers and sisters."

"Don't worry about everything that you have to do while you're here," Mia said suddenly as if reading his mind. "Everything's going to turn out fine. You'll do fine. Your dad will be proud and you'll be back in just enough time to get back to swimming."

"How can you be so sure?" Kevin lowered his shinai. Mia stared back at him. "I keep dreaming that I won't rise up to the occasion. I drown in a pool or I take a bad hit and die in battle, and the whole time my dad is standing off to the side, watching, disappointment written all over his face. Why couldn't I do better?"

"I've always hated seeing that face. I've seen it so many times when I was a kid. It was the same look that Jayden had on his face today. No matter what I did, I couldn't be useful. And that's really all I wanted…to be useful. But, once all this is done, there's nothing I have to do. With how this is going, I'm going to miss the trials for swimming and there'd be no way for me to have enough time to get back into my training to even think about competing. That's why I had to go back to help my team as you know. I have a feeling that was my last chance to be useful on that front."

"That's probably what scares you the most then," Mia remarked, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "Once this is all done, you have nothing to fall back on. That's why you keep up with everything Samurai related in every aspect of your life.

Kevin was silent for a moment. His brown eyes searched her as she calmly looked back at him. Y'know, I never noticed it before….but…you understand a lot of things about me," he said quietly.

"I'm a good listener," Mia replied with a nod. "Believe it or not, you and I are a lot more alike than you'd think." She shrugged. "You're not the only one who's had a big life change. We all fell into this new routine and was able to find some sort of solace while we anxiously figure out what we're going to do once we get back home."

"My dad expects the best of me all the time," Kevin said after a moment of silence. "I expect the best of me all the time. My biggest fear is that eventually everyone will see me the way I see myself; a lost little boy who lets everyone and anyone tell me who I am and who I'm supposed to be. A samurai. A swimmer. Take away all of the medals, and what am I?"

"A friend," Mia replied, gently poking himself in the stomach with her shinai. Kevin grabbed the shinai and tugged it, pulling her to his chest.

"Anything else?" he asked. He laughed a little bit as she pulled the shinai out of his hand, pushing him back again.

"I still need to figure that out," Mia replied with a small smile. "But as for now, I know that you are a loser." She did a quick series of strikes.

"We'll just see about that," Kevin replied, sinking into his usual fighting stance. "If there's one thing Kevin is not, it's that he's not a loser."

"You're right," Mia replied with a warm smile. "He's not a loser. In fact, I think he's a pretty cool guy."

Kevin smiled back.

* * *

**A/N: **Ehh, not one of my best (or favorite) chapters, in my opinion. But, there are still parts of it that I like. _One of the Guys II _will be updated tomorrow. I can't wait till you all see what I have in store from the episode "Trust Me" until the end. We've still got a little ways to go until I'm done, though.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


	43. Chapter 43: Ashes, Ashes (Part I)

**.:Chapter Fourty-Three – Ashes, Ashes (Part I):.**

* * *

Jayden kept his eyes closed as the dull rays of the morning sun slowly began to invade his dark room. He rolled onto his stomach and then cracked open an eye to peer at his alarm clock. The red numbers blazed back at him: five thirty in the morning. He let out a sigh through his nose before pushing himself up. He sat back on his heels for a moment, stretching his arms over his head before he climbed down from his bed, making his way to his window.

Carefully opening the curtains, he let the warn sun stream into the room as golden light projected from the sun into the room. Jayden heard rustling and turned his head to see Melody roll over in her bed, pulling her sheets up over her head, letting out a groan. He felt his lips twitch into a quick smile before he shook his head, making his way out of the room, holding back a yawn.

He quietly made his way down the hall, his bare feet slapping against the wood floor. Hearing soft snoring he turned into the living room and walked over to Cody, who was sleeping on the couch. He sat down on the table, facing the small boy. He watched Cody sleep for a moment before gently taking his hand, tucking his arm under his body before pulling the blanket that was covering him up to his chin.

"You're luck you know," he said quietly as he put his hand to Cody's head, ruffling his hair. "You still have your dad around to help you out." He pulled his hand back when Cody rolled over, his back facing Jayden.

He then got up and made his way into the kitchen. Looking around curiously, he decided to start making breakfast for everyone. With more food in the house, there was an easier selection to choose from, but there was no worry about running out, and leaving everyone to eating cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He worked quietly, making sure he didn't wake anyone up. But, around him he could hear the familiar noises of the house; Kevin going for his morning jog, Antonio heading out to go fishing. He wasn't sure when he got used to the noises, but they were comforting.

As he finished setting the bowl of fruit onto the kitchen table, he felt a hand suddenly rest on his bare shoulder. Jayden jumped, spinning around to face the person standing behind him, as he twisted the person's hand.

"Jesus—calm down," Melody said, quirking an eyebrow, laughing softly. "I'm not armed." He let out a sigh, letting go of her hand. Of course she'd be the one standing behind him; but he was comforted with that as well.

"Yeah, right," Jayden replied crossing his arms over his chest, feeling his heart rate slow down from his scare. "You always have something up your sleeve."

"Ouch, that's harsh," Melody teased. She tilted her head to the side as she looked him up and down. "Just be happy that you're wearing more than a towel this time."

"What are you doing up this early?" he asked, running a hand over his face before tugging up the waist band of his pajama pants.

"You embarrass easily. As for what I'm doing up; checking on you, of course," she answered tartly. "Not that it's any different than what I've been doing." Jayden gave her a confused look. "You haven't noticed?" He shook his head. "Ever since our first encounter with Terrorem, I'd get up early to check on everybody, make sure they were ok, and right in the head; in this case their dreams, and then get back to sleep. Only in this case, I woke up and you weren't there."

"Didn't mean to freak you out," Jayden muttered in reply.

"You didn't," Melody simply replied as she jumped up onto the counter, reaching for the fruit basket to grab an apple. Jayden gave her a pointed look before tilting his head towards the table. She put her hands up defensively before putting the apple back. "Are you ok, though? You've been really quiet since we were at the beach, even for you."

Jayden was silent.

"Did I do something?" she asked and Jayden gave her a confused look. "Or say something?"

"No," Jayden replied, shaking his head.

"There's obviously something bothering you," she commented, tilting her head to the side. She gave him a smile. "So how can I help? Everyone in the house says I give good advice."

"You do," Jayden replied. "I was thinking about what you said back at the beach about your friend Trini. Thinking about how you've acted since you've gotten here and how you are now. You don't like to be reminded of the past."

Melody was silent for a moment. "I think I could say the same for you," she replied.

"You're right," Jayden agreed, slowly nodding. "But I don't want to remember it."

"Maybe there's a reason you should," Melody offered. "Nothing can ever really be forgotten. You can ignore it for a while, like I do, but it never really goes away. You have to face it at one point or another"

Jayden stared at her. "Can I talk to you?" he suddenly asked.

"We're talking now," she pointed out to him.

"About anything," he asked slowly. "Can I talk about anything? It's been such a long time since I talked to anyone…anyone who didn't simply want to know what they could do to beat me in a sparring match."

Melody smiled in understanding as she felt the loneliness in his voice. "It's okay," she nodded. "You can talk about anything." She peered at him. "It's about your dad, isn't it?" Jayden peered at her. "I didn't need to use my powers to figure that out."

"You're the only one who'll get this," Jayden commented. He let out a heavy sigh. "You showed me where you go to think; I figured it'd be fair to show you where I go to think." A far off look came to his eyes. "No one sees me there, no one can bother me. I go there to get away from people, to hide."

"To hide from what?" Melody asked. "From the world or from yourself." She then jumped down from the counter. "I'll go wake everyone else up for breakfast."

Jayden raked his fingers through his hair, before making his way back to his room. He quickly changed his clothes before making his way back into the kitchen. Emily, Mike, and Melody were already sitting down. Cody, who looked exhausted, was at the counter pouring himself some juice while Mentor made himself coffee.

"Cody, you can ask him now," Emily said, giving the small boy a smile as he carefully carried his glass of orange juice over to the extra spot they made at the table.

"Ask me what?" Jayden asked, pulling his chair forward as he sat down, reaching for his fork to spear the cantaloupe that sat on his plate.

"To borrow the Bull Disc," Cody replied and Jayden paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. "It's this thing I'm working on to help you guys. I was working on it before Jaeger brought me here."

"And you need the Bull Disc to do it?" Jayden asked.

"I've seen what he has planned, I think it'll really help," Mentor commented, blowing on his coffee. "He's a bright young man. If he's anything like Kale, anything he could come up with will really help us out."

"Well," Cody said, blushing at the compliment, wiping his fingers on his napkin. "It's something I've been working on since I found out about the Bullzord. It's just the last disc I had, didn't turn out to be the real one I needed."

"So, what is it you're working on?" Mia asked as Mentor sat down at the head of the table.

"A weapon," Cody replied. "Sorry, but I don't really want to say any more until I know it actually works." He looked over at Jayden. "I would've asked you earlier, but you fell asleep before I could. I've been going through the archives, looking at the Nighlok you've defeated, this should help."

"You seem to know a lot about us Samurai," Melody pointed out and Cody gave a smile, sitting up straighter in his seat.

"My dad," he explained, "he told me all about Samurai and zords and stuff when he told me about the Bullzord. It was always so cool to me." He shoved some fruit into his mouth and started talking around it. "I think that's where I've gotten it from; wanting to build stuff: from my dad."

"How so?" Mike asked.

"I like to know how things work," Cody replied and Mike blinked, looking impressed. "What makes things work well together. I mean, I watch my dad cut down trees and make tables and desks and bed frames out of them. But, I want to know what makes zords and stuff work. I like being able to take pieces and create…_stuff_." He chewed rapidly and swallowed. "It's like I said; I have a whole lot of stuff that could help you guys out."

"Hey, maybe this guy actually could help us out," Mike said, putting his hand on Cody's shoulder, gently shaking him.

"So then your dad told you about the Pantherzord?" Jayden asked. "Because I had never heard of it before."

"No, that was a fluke," Cody replied, shaking his head. Jayden's eyebrows rose. "I just stumbled across it one day." He gave a shrug.

"You know something," Jayden said, his eyes narrowing slightly. Cody looked up at him, eyes widening slightly. "I can tell by the look on your face. You know."

"You know, I'm beginning to think that my dad is right," Cody replied slowly. "You _are_ the one who will save the city."

Jayden blinked in surprise. Someone, apart from himself, actually doubted him? Cody stared back, an unreadable look on his face. _Does he know? _he thought to himself. _Does he and his dad know about my secret? _Jayden briefly looked around at the other Rangers and saw that they were looking at him, waiting for his answer. Jayden cleared this throat.

"No offense, but, I don't really care what you think," Jayden said slowly, choosing his words carefully. Cody gave a brief nod of his head. "I just want to know about the Pantherzord."

"Well, I know you're looking for it," Cody said, setting down his fork, "but do you really think it's going to help you guys out?" He then put his hands up, quickly looking everyone in the eye. "Not that you guys suck or anything, you're doing a great job as Rangers, I'm just curious to know."

"Well, you came with us to help us hunt it down," Mike pointed out, "are you saying that it was waste of time?"

"No," Cody replied. "And, well, that trip was cool and fun and I'm glad you guys brought me with you. It's just that Xandred and Serrator seem to be one step ahead of you guys. How do you know it's not already captured by Serrator and Xandred, and they're waiting for you guys to get it?"

"Because it's not," Jaeger replied from where he was perched, looking out the window. Everyone jumped when he suddenly spoke up. No one knew that he was there. "I can tell. If the Pantherzord was under their control, I wouldn't have let them gone."

"Ok, then," Cody replied, nodding. "Before anyone asks, I have no clue where it is now. I'm surprised you even saw it in the last battle. But, if it showed up to help you, then it's obviously on our side." An excited look crossed his face. "So, how are you going to capture it?"

"Well, with the Swordfish Zord, we already had the disc," Mia replied, brushing her hair back over her shoulders. "It was just about trying to 'reel it in' so to speak. We already had the Beetle Disc and just needed to unleash it and with the Tigerzord—"

"It was on the rampage because of a Nighlok and we just needed to get control over it," Emily finished for her. "The disc was already there. It could be the same with the Pantherzord, but we won't really know until we try and get it. We just can't get it to stay in one spot long enough."

"Well, that's quite simple to figure out," Cody said with a shrug. "The Pantherzord came to the fight when everything was really looking bad; like you couldn't win. Seems to me like it was trying to protect you guys. If I had to guess, it'd show up again at—"

"Another fight," Jayden finished for him and he nodded. It wasn't a crazy thought; it was something that bounced around in his mind for a brief moment of time.

"Exactly," Cody replied with a nod.

"So how about we try luring it out?" Mike asked.

"You mean _fake_ a Nighlok attack?" Melody asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, I mean, in our next fight, we don't work to our best ability, make it seem like we don't stand a chance," Mike explained, "get the Pantherzord to come out and play. We capture it and send the Nighlok back to kingdom come."

"But, that could be what they want us to do," Mia pointed out, "the Nighlok I mean."

"With what I have in mind for you guys, you won't have to worry about the Nighlok or how powerful it is," Cody said in a sing-song voice.

"How long will it take for you to finish it?" Jayden asked, looking up from his plate and over to the younger boy.

"I just need the Bull Disc and if I work on it all day, I can have it done for you, no problem," Cody said, looking like he was going to bolt out of his chair the instant Jayden agreed to help him. "I promise. I'll make sure nothing happens to it. You can trust me."

"You can," Melody quietly agreed.

"Ok," Jayden replied and Cody grinned. He then turned to the rest of the Rangers. "Antonio and Kevin will be back soon. Rangers, if you're done, go get ready for training." He nodded towards Cody. "I'll get the Bull Disc for you."

"I won't let you down, I promise," Cody replied with a smile. He happily speared a strawberry with his fork and popped it into his mouth.

..

.

Once Kevin and Antonio returned home from running and fishing, they started up their daily training routine. Cody stayed to watch, as well as to look through some more of the archives in the Shiba House before he went back to his home to continue working on what it was that he was doing to help the Rangers.

Jayden watched over the training; admittedly impressed with how much his team had improved ever since they had all arrived at the Shiba House. It was almost like he was looking at a completely different group of people. He could remember when they were working on their symbol power and they'd injure themselves with a rock to the foot, or nearly drown standing up by a splash of water to the face, or having to repeatedly go to the circuit breakers to restore power to the house after another black out.

He could remember when they would hurt themselves with a simple form when training with the shinai, or just hurting themselves in general with simple moves. But, there was no denying that they were more far advanced, taking risks with their sparring, thinking one, two, maybe even three steps ahead of their opponents. Even Emily, who was still arguably the clumsiest person on the team, wasn't having problems with training. Jayden _did_ notice that she and Mike were doing well, but not as well as they normally did. They were doing well, but something seemed off about them, that he couldn't pinpoint.

In fact, it wasn't just them, it seemed like Mike and Melody were off, too. Kevin and Mia were doing great as usual, but just in general there was an off kilter vibe with about half the team that everybody was feeling. He could easily chalk it up to the fact that they knew that one of them was going to die; it was hard to keep going when you were worried about what was going to happen. But, they had come out of every Nighlok encounter, stronger than before.

And it was knowing that he wondered what it was about him, apart from what his father did, that made everyone want to go after him. The other Rangers were just as strong and courageous in their own right; case and point, giving up everything to join him in the fight against the Nighlok. Emily knew about her family's financial problems and returned, Melody with her dad's cancer, he could go on. They all could talk about personal things easier…better. Melody opened up to him about her tragic past, they all opened up to her about whatever they were dealing with, and here he was trying to ignore all of it and just stick to the mission. It wasn't that the Rangers had lost sight of it, it just seemed to becoming more and more important as they kept getting grave news.

And Jayden would prepare them as best as he could, but he could even see that they were coming to a point where he would teach them everything that he knew.

Kevin was without a doubt the best swordsman in the house, and even he knew it. Jayden was surprised to find that someone was as close in stature as he was, but given that Kevin was all about the Samurai life, it made the most sense. If he hadn't surpassed him by now, he knew he was close to be knocked down into the second spot. And oddly, he was fine with it. He remembered when it freaked him out, it was kind of annoying, when he got close to defeating him in a sparring match. But, Kevin deserved it. He was always studying, trying to learn as much as he could, starting and ending the day with a run, taking in extra practices every now and then. But the Blue Ranger had been opening up, learning to relax more. Even Jayden could see that his arguments with melody weren't as serious anymore and more verbal sparring for fun.

While Mia wasn't the best cook anyone had ever seen, she was improving in that as well as with her Samurai training. She was the most well rounded Samurai he had met, not being good at just one hing, but at everything. She could handle Melody in a hand to hand combat sparring session, despite the Purple Ranger being more well experienced in that area. She could give Kein a run for his money with swords, and she was one of the first to master her symbol power. But, she had a more "go with the flow" kind of attitude with training matching the aspect of her element perfectly. She didn't get too under pressure, but she was always there to talk others down when it came down to it. Plus, she had the medical knowledge and had a first-aid kit handy. With how she liked to keep the peace with everyone, and make sure everyone was ok she had a Mama Bear like attitude that made her a fierce Samurai.

Mike was the best with creative fighting, especially when fighting one-handed. He was the most laid back of the Rangers, and that showed even in his fighting stance, but it helped him flow through moves easily. He could come up with quick strategies that could make a Nighlok's head spin; much like how he thought of tangling up Rofer's arms. There were times where his impulsive actions did get him in trouble, but the contrast to how straight laced some of the other Rangers were, it was like a breath of fresh air, and Jayden couldn't deny that he was curious to see what Mike was going to do next. Jayden also saw that Mike looked out for Emily which, in turn, made her a great fighter; become more confident as he was there to back her up, to give her encouragement.

It was like Mike said, Emily was the heart of the team and she had showed that recently with how she fought the Nighlok with everything she had. She was always trying to get people to smile, and had, surprisingly, surpassed Mike with her symbol power, but everyone knew Mike had "kanji issues." Case in point, she fought with her heart, because she knew that she had a lot to work towards taking over for her sister. But, everyone saw her as her own entity. She wasn't "Serena's little sister" anymore, she was Emily. She hadn't been the best Samurai, she was the clumsiest person Jayden had ever met, and she did have her clumsy tendencies from time to time, but put a Spin Sword in her hand and she was good to go. She wasn't as close to a top placement on the team, but she could always push herself to and beyond her limits when it came down to it.

Antonio was a big surprise to the team; having trained himself to be a Samurai. Despite Jayden not wanting Antonio on the team, because he didn't want to put an old friend in danger, plus he didn't know the extent of his skills. Despite his skills not always being actual skills, it was a change that helped them out. Even Jayden couldn't get a grasp on the back handed grip Antonio mastered. But, it was with that grip that made it hard to face off against him as he learned to be light on his feet to keep his blade wielding hand free of harm. His knowledge of technology, being able to fix the Clawzord, and set up tracking systems on the Samuraizeers, as well as unleashing the power of the Black Box, has helped the team immensely.

Melody, in short, was a spitfire. Get her pissed off enough with a cheap shot or one small comment and she'd more or less ram her blade down your throat without batting an eyelash. She had an animalistic ferocity when she fought that would make even the most self-confident person scared to face her. She was light on her feet and was the most skilled Ranger at hand to hand combat fighting, and probably the most courageous out of all the Rangers. With her powers, she was an obvious stand out on the team, however, in Samurai skills alone, she was on par with Mia if not slightly below her. With her past experience as a Ranger, and just in life, she was the best to go to for advice or whenever you just needed someone to listen to your problems for she always had a story to relate with. With her quick and witty comments, and her wanting to always have fun, she was a great person to have around and you can bet that she had your back no questions asked.

And it was at this time, watching his team spar that he was the most proud of everybody on his team. He couldn't have asked for better people to live in his house and to train with him. He didn't know how things would've turned out with Serena, but he knew it wouldn't be like how things were now, and he wouldn't trade it for anything. When they fought each other, it seemed like there wasn't anything that would resolve it, but when they worked together, working in sync, that was when all of the sparring and the internal team conflicts disappeared and they were an ultimate fighting force.

At the same time, he could just tell that something was coming. A dark desolate feeling filled the air, chilling his bones. Whatever it was that was coming, it was coming fast and he sure as hell was going to prepare them for it as best as he could.

* * *

"Hey, I'm doing laundry," Melody called as she adjusted the basket under her arm, walking down the hall to the bedrooms. "If you need anything done, get it to me—whoa." Melody's arm was seized and she was roughly pulled into the bathroom. The door slammed shut behind her and she was pushed up against the door. She let out a groan of pain when the door knob rammed into her back. She blinked in pain at Mike.

"I'm still not all that happy with how you treated Em, but I need your help," Mike said in a hushed whisper.

"So do I," Melody choked out. He gave her a confused look. "_In. Pain._"

He let her go and she moved away from the door, practically collapsing to the ground as she set the laundry basket on the side of the sink. "Sorry," Mike commented, merely gazing down at her.

"Oh, no it's ok," Melody said, rubbing at her back. "Why would you need _two_ kidneys when you can just have one?" She made a face as she faced him. "What's up?"

"I did something stupid," Mike replied in a quiet tone.

"Like…what?" Melody asked slowly.

He let out a breath of air. "I kissed Emily," he replied.

Melody's eyes popped open. "You did _what_?" she all but shrieked.

Mike briefly closed his eyes. "I said..."

"I heard what you said, I'm just in shock," she said waving her hand in the air, making him stop talking. She then stared at him for a moment. "I just can't believe that you kissed her. You..._did_ actually kiss her?"

"Why would I make that up?" Mike asked, giving her a 'duh' look.

"Because this could be your backwards way of asking me for advice on something without actually asking me for advice because you're still mad at me," Melody replied. Mike gave her a weird look. "Nevermind. So you _finally_ faced your feelings?"

"I wouldn't say that exactly," Mike said, before he pressed his lips together. He then groaned, gripping his hair. "I don't know why I did that. That was stupid."

"You can't help who you get feelings for, Mike," Melody pointed out to him. "So, being the girl I am, I need details and I mean _all_ the details." Mike cringed. "What happened?"

"I went after her after you yelled at her to make sure she was ok and everything," Mike replied giving her a pointed look. Melody pursed her lips for a moment, but nodded, raking her fingers through her hair. "Sh was feeling pretty down about herself, I tried to get her to cheer up. We got into this tickle fight and we fell off the bed and I just kissed her."

"Did you tell her how you feel about her?" Melody pressed. Mike shook his head back and forth. "Mike!" She sighed through her nose. "So, what'd you do?"

"I…ran…" Mike admitted and Melody slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. "I know, I know, it was stupid."

"…Which explains why you two were acting funny when we had to try sparring when we were all glued together," Melody said thinking out loud and Mike nodded. "Have you guys talked since?"

"Well, kinda," Mike replied, scratching the back of his neck. "We said how we never had boyfriends or girlfriends before, and how we were, like, outsiders in our own home and that's why we're good friends." His shoulders drooped. "We established that we're friends."

"Ok," Melody said with a nod. She then slapped his arm. "_Are you crazy_?"

"Ow, what?" Mike asked, rubbing his arm.

"You've seen how wacked out Jayden and Mentor got every time they thought something was going on with me and Antonio," Melody said, and then pointed a finger in his face, "and there _wasn't_."

"I believe you," Mike replied, putting his hands up defensively. "I didn't even mean to do it. It just…happened."

"And how do you think pulling me into the bathroom with you was going to help?" Melody asked, quirking an eyebrow. "I hate to say it, but I don't have a cute little anecdote for this. I didn't have any rules against dating until I got here."

"Well, how did you move from just friends into boyfriend/girlfriend?" Mike asked. His eyes widened slightly. "Not that I can do anything about it now. Just…you know, just for reference?"

"Well, my relationship with Jason was kind of a fluke since I liked him when I was a kid, and I had a meddling friend push us together," Melody said, closing one eye as she thought, "and then my relationship with Rocky was smoother. I mean, I didn't even realize it happened; we hung out a lot and just kind of slid into dating. It wasn't really a big deal."

Mike tilted his head to the side, sticking out his bottom lip in a pout. "I don't know…take her to the pool hall or something. I doubt she knows how to play and you could probably give her a hands on lesson if you know what I'm saying." She then made a face. "I can't believe I just said that."

"You got any better ideas?" Mike asked.

"I don't know, take her out on a boat," Melody said, waving her hand in the air. "Don't think I didn't hear that sunset comment on the mountain. Emily may be the romantic type so it could work." She then grabbed the laundry basket. "Now, if you don't mind, I have laundry to do. So, I'll get back to you not wanting to talk to me."

"Why do you make it so hard to not like you?" Mike asked an annoyed look briefly crossing his face.

"It's part of my charm," Melody replied with an over the top smile. Mike chuckled. "So do you _really_ want me to try and figure out a story that'll help or are you going to tell me why you flipped out on me?"

"Because you were being a jerk to Emily," Mike replied.

"I'm not denying that," Melody replied, putting her hand up into the air. "And I think it's cute how you rode in on your white horse to help her out." She used her free hand to pinch his cheek. His upper lip curled slightly and he swatted her hand away. "Do you want to know what I think? No? Too bad, I'm going to tell you anyway."

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't," Mike said and Melody gave a small laugh in agreement.

"I think you're freaking out, not only because you finally made a move on Em, but you can't really do anything about it, but also because you're freaked out about relationships in general because you saw your parents' marriage fall apart, presumably because of you," Melody replied after a moment of silence before tilting her head to the side.

"And because of that, you're worried that if something _does_ happen between you and Em, you're going to start acting like him and you're mad at me for yelling at Em because it reminded you of how your dad treated your mom." She closed one eye, thinking. "I think that covers everything."

"Well, yeah, but—" Mike trailed off, exchanging looks with Melody as the Gap Sensor went off. "Let's roll." Melody set the laundry basket down before wrenching the bathroom door open, rushing into the living room to join the other Rangers as they crowded around the map of the city. "What's up, Ji?"

"The Gap Sensor has picked up some odd activity on this obscure island," Mentor replied, tapping his hand to the map on the table, zooming in towards the island a pulsating yellow dot sat. "I'm not sure it's a true Nighlok attack. I tried to call in, but communication has been cut off. We can't reach anyone there to confirm or deny what's going on."

"We'll go and check it out," Jayden said with a nod. He then turned towards the other Rangers. "Azure and Jaeger will come too, just in case. It may be nothing, but we should keep our guard up just to be sure."

"There's a boat waiting for you down at the harbor, just look for Captain Tony and he'll take you across, all other boats to and from the island have been cancelled, just in case," Mentor called after the Rangers as they hurried out of the house, Melody calling for Jaeger and Azure as they went.

* * *

"You know, when I suggested the boat ride, this was not what I had in mind," Melody commented in a low voice as she held tightly onto the metal railing on the side of the boat as it bounced up and down over the waves.

"Tell me about it," Mike groaned, grimacing as the boat hit the water with a loud smack. She looked over at Kevin who had his head over the side of the boat, throwing up. Mia gently rubbed his back. "Maybe he's getting rid of the last junk food we stuffed into our mouths."

"It's better than nothing," Antonio called over the rush of wind. "But, can you imagine how much fish I could get all the way out here?"

"Now's not the time, Antonio," Jayden said to his friend and Antonio shrugged. "We have to prepare ourselves to what could be on the island."

Moments later, they were all on the island and Jayden let the captain of the boat go, partially because he didn't know how long they were going to take, and also because they had other ways to get back just in case things went wrong.

"It's like a ghost town," Emily commented, brushing her hair behind her ears as a gentle breeze pulled it across her face.

'It's a dump, that's what it is," Mia commented, looking around at the piles and piles of trash. "It looked like such a beautiful place on the way over here." She kicked over a pile of stuff and found a bike hidden underneath. "Think we'll need to use this?"

"Hard to say," Jaeger replied, looking around. He then turned to Jaeger and Azure. "Can you guys sense anything?"

"No," Azure replied, shaking her head. "That's the weird part."

"Whatever is blocking communication to this island, sure is making sure they won't be found out," Jaeger commented. "Which doesn't bode well for us. They could jump out at us, and we wouldn't even know where they were coming from."

"Mentor said he tried to get in communication with the people here," Emily said, putting her hands on her hips. "So, where are all the people?"

"That's what we're here to figure out," Jayden replied gravely. He craned his neck to look up at the island.

"Cars, bikes, chairs, beds, boats," Kevin said, using a hand to rub his stomach as he looked around. "It's like these people just up and ran. This _has_ to be due to a Nighlok attack."

"It looks like everyone just dropped their stuff and ran," Melody said, using her foot to push up a boat, indicating a dent on the bottom. She let out a low whistle. "Mike's side of the room doesn't look as bad as this."

"Hey!" Mike cried, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, she's got a point," Kevin said, pinching the bridge his nose.

"I don't think they all got up and left on a boat though," Mia said, turning to look at where they had just got off the boat. "You heard Mentor, all the boats were shut down." She looked around. "Looks like all the seamen have left too." She looked around, spotting some houses, but they didn't look to be anybody in them.

"We need to find out how this...whatever this is...happened," Jayden said, turning around to face his team. "We better split up into teams."

"Got it," Mike replied, instantly moving to Antonio's side. "You and me, yeah?"

"Uhh," Antonio said, blinking in surprise before glancing over at Emily who pressed her lips together, stepping closer to Kevin. He clapped Mike on the shoulder. "Yeah, sure, dude."

"Well, we have nine people here," Melody said, doing a quick head count. She stepped towards Mike. "I'll go with you guys."

"No," Jayden said instantly and everyone gave him a confused, and curious look. "Jaeger, you go with Antonio and Mike, Azure, you go with Kev and Emily, Mel you come with Mia and me."

"Suuuure," Melody slowly replied, exchanging glances with Mike and Antonio who shrugged.

"Alright, we'll take the center of the island," Jayden said, ignoring the weird looks his teammates were giving each other, and to Mike for choosing to team up with Antonio over Emily. It was just the normal way they did things; Kevin and Mia paired up, Mike and Emily, and Melody would pair up with Antonio or Jayden. "Mike and Antonio will go left, and Kevin and Emily will go right. We'll meet at the top of that mountain as soon as possible. But, keep your eyes peeled for anything and everything."

"So, what was that about?" Antonio asked as Mike and Jaeger followed him, making their way down the road. "You not choosing to pair up with Emily, I mean?"

"Ah, you're just mad because you're not paired up with Mel," Mike replied. He looked over at Jaeger when he heard him let out an odd _mrrow_ of laughter. "What?"

"Nothing," Jaeger replied with a shake of his head.

"No seriously, what?" Mike asked.

"You're all too busy figuring out who likes who and what you're going to do about it, which is a complete disregard of the rules in general, to really realize just how much trouble we're in," Jaeger commented, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets. He quick stepped around a pile of broken glass. He may have tough skin, choosing to walk barefoot everywhere, but he was just as human with how an injury like that could put him out of commission. "One of us is going to die unless we can all put everything aside and learn to work together."

"Wait, but that prophecy," Antonio said, scratching the side of his jaw, "it's pretty much straight to the point. I mean, they can't change can they?"

"They can if they're not exactly prophecies," Jaeger replied. Antonio and Mike stopped walking, and gave him curious looks. "Let me ask you something; would either of you be incredibly offended if Azure and I taught Jayden how to accept and use Mel's powers and not either of you two?"

"Mel's powers…_your _powers are cool and all, but they're freaky," Mike said, putting his hands up defensively. "Like a horror movie in your head or something. I was on the receiving end of it, remember?"

"Mmm, unfortunately I do," Jaeger commented, his lips twitching. "I'm sorry about that by the way." Mike waved his hand into the air. "Antonio?"

"Jayden's the best out of all of us," Antonio said with a shrug. "It makes sense; I'm not offended by it. If anyone can do it, Jayden can." He looked over at Mike. "We all know that."

"Yeah, Jayden's the man," Mike agreed. He gently punched Jaeger's shoulder. "No worries, dude."

"Ok, cool," Jaeger replied with a nod. He followed the two Rangers over to a house and Mike ran up the stone path and knocked on the door.

"Hello?" he called loudly. "Is anyone here? Hello?" He pounded his fist on the door. "We just want to talk. See what happened here." He shrugged when he faced Antonio and Jaeger. "The place is deserted."

"No it's not," Jaeger said, staring hard at the window. Mike and Antonio looked in his direction and saw that a curtain blowing back and forth ever so slightly. "Someone's in there."

"It could be just the air conditioning," Antonio suggested.

"But, it's not," Jaeger insisted. "I saw movement, I swear I did." He crossed his arms over his chest. "It was for a second though, I just couldn't see if it was a boy or girl."

"So everybody is still on the island, just…holed up in their own homes," Mike said, turning to join his friends.

"The question is 'why'," Antonio said as he reached for his morpher as it rang. Mike did the same, holding it up to his ear. Jaeger stood beside Mike, pressing his ear to the Samuraizer as close as he could. "Que pasa? What's up?"

"_Some kind of ash fell from the sky_," Kevin said over the Samuraizer, "_and when it landed on the people, they all got super scared. The ash is coming from the mountain_."

"That's where Jayden and them are headed," Jaeger said in a whisper.

"_Alright, Mia, Mel, and I are on our way there now_," Jayden said through the morpher. "_Let's all regroup at the base of the mountain as soon as you can."_

"_We're on our way_," Kevin said.

"Us too," Antonio said before closing the morpher against his hip. He used a hand to shield his face as he looked up at the mountain. "It's going to be a bit of a walk, let's vamos."

"Not so fast, Rangers."

Antonio and Mike's eyes widened at the familiar voice. The three boys hurried around the corner and skidded to a stop when they saw Serrator slowly walked towards them up the dirt path they were about to take. "

"Serrator," Jaeger growled.

"Not this guy, again," Mike said, feeling his hands curl into fists by his sides.

"You're feeling it, aren't you?" Serrator asked, ignoring the Rangers, walking even more sinisterly towards them. "That feeling creeping up your spine; telling you that you've fallen into a trap and there's no escape?"

* * *

On another part of the island, Kevin, Emily, and Azure were looking for any signs of life as they made their way along a dirt path. Every house and building they passed didn't seem to have anybody in them. Mail was still in the mail boxes, some watering hoses were still running, and car doors were left open. There didn't seem to be any sign of a struggle, but they couldn't begin to guess what happened to the people it was like they disappeared.

"Would you stop?" Kevin asked, turning to face Azure who kept her head on a swivel, looking around. "You're making me paranoid."

"Sorry," Azure said with a small frown. "I just keep hearing something…or someone."

"You've been saying that for a while, and we haven't seen anybody," Emily said gently.

"I know I'm not…well prepared for big fights against things like Nighlok, but my hearing isn't going," Azure said her frown deepening. "I know I hear someone. I just can't figure out where they are."

"Because of…whatever's blocking communication?" Kevin asked. "Do you think it's blocking your powers?"

"No, I know it's not," Azure replied. "It's just making it hard for me to sense where people are; to figure out what it is that doesn't belong. The Nighloks just feel different, if there's one here, they definitely have the element of surprise."

"That's not good," Emily agreed with a shake of her head, following Kevin up a set of stone stairs and into the forest. "Kev, I bet people are all holed up in their houses."

"Not necessarily," he said with a shake of his head. "If something was after them, a house would be an easy place to hide. The woods…they have trees and brush, inclines and declines. You could lose someone pretty quickly."

"Just like that boy is trying to do?" Azure asked, pointing ahead of her. Kevin and Emily turned and saw a boy running away from them.

"Hey, wait," Emily shouted as they started running after him. "Hold on."

"Man, he's fast," Kevin said, jumping over a fallen log.

"He lives on the island, he must know where everything is without a second thought," Azure said, sprinting around a large tree. "Slow down, kid."

"We're only trying to help," Kevin added. He came to a stop, throwing out his arm to stop Emily. "Go this way, he might circle around to get back home. Azure, go in the other direction." The two girls nodded before running off in the two directions he indicated. Kevin continued to follow the path ahead of him, running as fast as he could to keep the boy in his sights.

Soon they caught up to him, Emily and Azure cutting him off, and Kevin arrived a moment later, putting a hand to his chest, breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. "Calm down, kid," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder. The kid made a squeak sound, stepping away from Kevin. "Take it easy; we're not going to hurt you."

"Yes you are, you're the enemy," the boy replied, looking around at the three teenagers. He then looked around the area around him, as if searching for a way out.

"No," Emily said quietly, stepping closer to him. "We're the good guys. _Really._"

"She's telling the truth, kid," Azure said, nodding towards Emily.

"Why do you look so weird?" the kid asked quietly. Azure exchanged glances with Kevin and Emily. She hadn't thought of hiding the way she looked. There were so many people around Panorama, that people barely looked at you sideways, and Captain Tony knew all about the Power Rangers.

"Um, what made you think that we were your enemies?" Emily asked.

"And what's that stuff on your face?" Kevin asked, bending down to the boy's height.

The boy lifted a hand and wiped the smudges off of his cheek, glancing curiously down at it. "It came from the sky," he said, wiping his hand on his jeans. "It kinda hurt when it landed; like it was burning."

"Ash," Azure commented, stepping towards the boy, sniffing him. "It must've gotten on the other people in this town. That must have something to do with why everyone split."

"He got this ash on him and now he's scared," Emily agreed. "Everyone else is hiding."

"It just started falling," the boy said quietly. He turned to face the inclined behind them, pointing. "From up there."

"The mountain," Kevin said quietly. He reached for his Samuraizer, relaying the message to the other Rangers before closing it again. "Jayden wants to meet at the top of the mountain. I bet that's where the ash is coming from."

"I'm surprised it took you this long to figure out what's going on here," Dayu said with a laugh as she stepped out from behind a group of trees, hugging her harmonium to her chest.

"Dayu!" Kevin gasped.

"Please! You look so surprised," Dayu said, waving her hand in the air. "That's strange because we've been expecting you."

"We?" Azure repeated, a look of confusion on her face.

Dayu slowly grinned.

* * *

Jayden, Mia, and Melody walked through the center of town, watching as people hid behind shutters, closed their blinds, and slammed windows shut as they passed. "On another part of the island though, Jayden and Mia had lost all sight of any kind of buildings.

"They all seem to be hiding," Mia said as she adjusted the scarf around her neck.

"We haven't done anything, though, so why would they be scared of us?" Melody asked, just as another door was slammed shut.

"Well…maybe they're not used to new people on their island," Mia suggested, "kind of lake a gated community only this one is—"

"Watered?" Melody joked and Mia laughed a little bit.

"Look, the point is that they're afraid of something," Mia said as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"It has to be whoever or whatever it was that made the Gap Sensor go off," Jayden spoke up. "Something is _definitely _not right here." He sped up, walking past the two girls, leading the way to the path to get onto the mountain.

"So, what do you think is up with Mike and Emily?" Mia asked in a low voice. "They've been acting strange around each other."

"No more than usual," Melody commented, twisting her mouth to the side, glancing over at the Pink Ranger. She didn't think Mia knew what was going on, but she wasn't going to make a big deal about it. Not only was it not needed given their circumstances, but Mia would've most likely made it a huge deal. "They _are _off. I mean, you saw them at training."

"Exactly," Mia replied with a nod. "They're working well together, as they usually do, but it just seemed to throw the rest of us off."

"No, that wasn't it, we're all distracted for a whole bunch of different reasons," Melody said with a shake of her head. "We can't let those distractions distract us now, this is important."

"Do you know?" Mia asked, peering up at her.

"Yes, I do, but I'm not going to tell you," Melody replied. "Actually, I'm surprised Emily hasn't said anything."

"She's tried to, but she always chickens out," Mia replied.

"Guys, come on," Jayden called from farther ahead. He was already starting up the path to head up the side of the mountain. Mia and Melody exchanged glances before breaking out into a jog, hurrying to catch up with Jayden. On the way, they got a call from Kevin explaining what was going on.

"The base of the mountain isn't that far," Jayden mused aloud as he put his Samuraizer back into his pocket. "I just hope the other Rangers get here soon. I'm getting a bad feeling about this."

"You're not the only one," Melody commented, looking around as she slowly spun in a circle. "An island is a pretty odd place to have a Nighlok attack…if there _is _one around."

"Or it could be right up their alley," Jayden said grimly, "far off from the mainland, no communication? Recipe for disaster." He suddenly stopped walking, his eyes narrowing when someone stepped out of the treeline and into the clearing. "But, we've got worries of our own."

"Why? What-?" Mia turned, gaping when she spotted Decker. "What are you doing here?"

"Again I meet you, as a sword for hire," Decker commented, keeping his eyes on Jayden. "My sword Uramasa, will be whole again." He lifted u his sword which was split in half from Jayden's last fight with him. "But, in the mean time, I can fight you with this." He suddenly transformed into his Nighlok form. "At least for a while."

Jayden turned his head and exchanged glances with Mia and Melody before they all reached for their morphers. "Go Go Samurai!"

* * *

Back at the Shiba House, Ji was headed to the front door after a series of sharp, quick raps to the front door. He got up out of his seat, making his way out of his office, following the constant banging, calling that he would be there. He grasped the door handle, pulling it open and smiled when he saw Cody standing on the doorstep.

"You're back pretty quickly," Mentor commented, giving the small boy a grin. "Did you get things squared away with…whatever you were making?"

"With Braiden's help I did," Cody said, referring to the older teen who was standing on the porch next to him, lightly hitting him in the side with the bundle in his arms.

"Are the Rangers here?" Braiden asked, cutting to the chase. "This will _really _help them out."

"What is it?" Mentor asked. He then gave Cody a pointed look. "And you do have your father's permission to be here, right?"

"Mhm," Cody said with a nod. "He knows all about this and is ok with it. It's important."

"Come in, come in," Mentor said, stepping back to let the two boys in. "The Rangers are out, inspecting a possible Nighlok attack."

"You need to get this to them as soon as possible," Cody said, hurrying into the house, looking for a table. "I have the Bull Disc, too. It's the only way this will work." He then set the bundle down onto the table and the two boys ripped off the bindings and the covering. "Pretty cool, eh?"

"Yes," Mentor replied. "But, what is it?"

"The Bullzooka," Braiden replied with a smile.

* * *

**A/N: **So this is the big turning point of the fic. I can't wait for you guys to see what's going to come up for the rest of the fic.

**~HypnoticMelody~**


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